It's a One Time Thing
by mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: (Modern AU) They're are the only ones who trust each other enough to go this far. They keep sayings it's a simple thing, that it means absolutely nothing, but, to be honest, that couldn't be any farther from the truth. ErenxArmin, rated M for sexual content. Spoilers and side couples! Now has extra scene! Enjoy :3
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, here is my new story! Consists of three chapters~ For this story, I don't know how well I can keep up with it, as well as my other ones. I may not upload everything once a week on weekends like I want only because I've gotten a lot more hours at work these days. I am writing when I can, but still~ When you get home from work, the first thing you do it relax, not get right back to work. I consider this my second job, but I like this a lot. :3**

**I had a lot more to say, I know I did, but I totally forgot. For those of you who know me, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you. XD ****Well, I guess that's it for me then!**

**じゃね！**

**-Misty**

**P.S. Oh yeah, quick not. These bars here:**

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**I hate them. Hate, hate, hate them. XD I knew I wasn't going to get away with this fanfic without them, though, so I had no choice. You probably don't care, but~ It's a fun fact of the day. XD**

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**It's A One Time Thing**

**(Modern AU) They're are the only ones who trust each other enough to go this far. They keep sayings it's a simple thing, which it means absolutely nothing, but, to be honest, that couldn't be any farther from the truth.**

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**Rated M: Sexual content, adult language**  
**Couple: Eren x Armin**  
**Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

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Lips lingered together for a few moments before breaking apart, giving the chance for breath to fill their lungs. Breaths mingled together slowly as the two childhood friends got their first chance to breathe. Their faces remained close, letting hot air fan across their face and their eyes open to look at each other. Eyes were locked together; tired blue eyes on lustful but also tired green eyes. The looks given were calm, but all at once familiar and comforting.

A hand was brought up to cradle the taller ones cheek, gently so as not to surprise the person above him. His friend smiled in affection and clasped his hand over the smaller one on his cheek, capturing the warmth and trapping it to his body. He closed his green eyes just so he could focus solely on the hand within his own.

"Feeling any better, Eren?" His friend asked him. Eren opened an eye and peeked down at his friend.

The boy's cheeks were flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and the coming-off high of lust. His eyes were wide and his blue gaze was deafening, but all the same Eren couldn't bring himself to look away. The boy underneath him was completely adorable, but at the same time attractive and beautiful. How could you look away with such a dangerous combination mere inches from you?

Eren released his friends hand and nodded his head. A sigh escaped him before he rested his head down on his friend's chest and let the muscles along his back, shoulders and neck relax.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better now." He mumbled. "Thank you, Armin." He added.

"Not much of a problem as I see it." The blond mumbled distractedly while his fingers played in Eren's brown hair. Eren chuckled from the response. He closed his eyes, letting his fatigue wash over him relentlessly. He didn't get to sleep the night before because he was called into work. He was so tired that he would have probably slept anywhere at that point. He was more than thankful that he was not only in his bed and in his house, but also lying on top of his childhood friend and coming down from his adrenaline rush.

He was quite content where he was right now. He was just about ready to cry he was so happy.

"You didn't sleep well last night, did you?" Armin asked quietly. Eren was already half asleep when he spoke. The words had to go through a hazy filter, but when they were filed in the appropriate place in his mind, he nodded his head.

"Mhm..." He mumbled. He could barely register that Armin giggled from his response. He felt Armin shift a little in place, the familiar feeling of wet between their chests and legs before Armin spoke up again.

"Eren, it's three-o-two..." He whispered. Eren groggily opened his eyes to look at the clock on his bedside table. As true as Armin said, it was three-o-two. "Mikasa will be home any minute." Armin said.

Eren groaned audibly in agitation. He moved his tired limbs up so he could brace himself with his elbows and pushed himself up.

"God damn it..." He hissed. Eren pushed himself to sit on his butt with his feet tucked under it. He yawned in another audible and exasperated manner, just to show his annoyance.

Armin frowned, equally as annoyed as Eren, and sat up from under him. He winced to the sore muscles in his lower back, but he didn't let on to the pain. He didn't want Eren to worry.

"I was so comfortable." Eren groaned and started the search for his clothes. He wasn't sure why he would bother to put his old and dirty ones back on. It was his apartment and he could easily go to his closet and get some, but he didn't feel like getting up and moving.

"If I had known what time it was, maybe we could have done it another time." Armin fumbled with the buttons of his white shirt as he spoke. Eren shook his head in disapproval.

"Don't say that. I'm glad you came over. I really needed that release." He said. He noticed the small blush on Armin's cheeks from the statement and he smiled. It was cute how easily flustered his friend got when he spoke like that. It was so easy to mess with him or sometimes_ tease_ him.

"Eventually, though, if we keep doing dangerous stuff like this, Mikasa is going to find out." Armin said, his flush darkening with embarrassment. They hadn't even been found out and yet he was embarrassed at what her reaction would be, if any.

"You've been saying that for years now." Eren scoffed and playfully slapped his blushing friend. He was right. Mikasa hadn't found out about them for the time they'd been doing this, and they'd been having sex a lot longer than a few years. It was only a few years later that Armin started to get self-conscious about what they were doing.

All of the questions he should have thought of before they first had sex rose up before and after each time they did it all the time now. Would she be surprised? Confused? Would she question them nonstop about their relationship? Or better yet, with her origins and bloodline, would she find what they were doing repulsive? Would she try to keep them apart? Armin didn't want that at all.

So caught up in the horrifying thoughts, he didn't notice a fully dressed Eren had crawled up from behind him.

"It's not like you don't love it." Eren whispered in his ear and then gently blew in it. Armin jumped in placed from the action and covered his ear, his cheeks turning darker, though he doubted that was possible. Eren nearly broke into laughter, but he wasn't finished teasing his friend yet. "I mean, you always keep begging me for more so I naturally assumed-" Armin quickly covered Eren's mouth, his embarrassment reaching a whole new level as he attempted to shut his friend up.

Eren laughed into the palm of his hand, enjoying the cute yet predictable reaction his friend was having. Of all the times he wondered it, he now came to the conclusion that he was a sadist in some manner, because he was enjoying this way too much.

"B-Be quiet, be quiet!" Armin said in a panicked whisper. Eren laughed a little more and ruffled Armin's already unruly blond hair. Armin looked away at anything but Eren, fearing that if he looked into his eyes he would simply fall apart. Eren already saw his obvious conclusion though. He knew exactly what he was thinking because of how long they had been friends and he knew exactly how to make him feel better.

With that being said, it was also obvious he wasn't going to do what would make Armin feel better. He'd tease him a little more before probably kissing him affectionately, and if it weren't for Mikasa's upcoming arrival he'd probably have sex with him again. It had become a ritual, a pattern, an almost daily routine. It was normal, but he'd deny to anyone who'd ask that the underlying feelings were hidden away in the back of his mind.

He'd never speak them out loud.

Instead of thinking about that, he'd gone about kissing Armin. The boy barely had time to breathe before Eren had yanked his hand off of his mouth, pinned it to the side of the bed and kissed him senselessly. Armin was only surprised for half a second before he reacted and kissed back. His hand reached up to brush along Eren's sharp jaw and to his hair where he settled his fingers into the brown hair on Eren's head. He reacted with a small moan as Eren's free hand (the one not pinning his hand down) roamed over his thin body and to his chest where he teased his clothed body.

That moan was the only sound in the room, followed by the sound of the apartment door opening. Eren and Armin pulled away to listen to the sounds of someone shuffling around in the living room.

"Eren, I'm home!" It was Mikasa's voice. Armin immediately squeaked in response while Eren had jumped back fast in fear that Mikasa would walk in at any minute. This resulted in him completely missing the bed and falling out off of it, the thud was so loud that Mikasa could hear it from the living room.

"A-Are you okay?" Armin asked in a whisper. Eren sat up and ran his hand through his hair to fix it.

"Yes, now get dressed!" Eren and Armin froze when there was a knock on his door.

"Eren, is everything alright in there?" Mikasa asked from outside his door. Eren mentally thanked himself for locking his bedroom door at some point, though he didn't remember when. It was probably sometime after he had pushed Armin down onto his bed. He remembered closing his door, but after that was kind of a blur.

"Y-Yeah, everything is fine!" Eren called out. Armin was looking through the loose sheets of Eren's bed for his underwear, panicking when they weren't in his view. Eren found Armin's jeans on the floor and handed them to him, noticing the dilemma all at the same time.

"Eren, why is the door locked?" Mikasa asked. The two boys were shaking with fear as Mikasa tried opening the door to his room.

"J- I'm just getting dressed!" Armin found his underwear after some mind racking time and pulled them on along with his pants. As he went about putting his socks and shoes on, Eren went to his door so he could finally get his sister to stop trying to break it down. He unlocked it and opened it, but he busted through the door, pushed Mikasa back and closed the door behind him.

"Eren, what's going on?" She asked with a stern voice. She already knew something was up and she wasn't all too pleased to have been pushed backwards by her brother.

"Nothing, nothing!" Eren said and waved his hands in front of his face. "What makes you think something is going on?"

"Why'd you lock the door?" Mikasa asked.

"C-Cause I didn't want anyone walking in while I was getting dressed." Eren repeated his previous excuse, but Mikasa gave him a contorted look. Either she didn't believe him or she didn't understand his excuse.

"... Why? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." She stated bluntly.

"S-Shut up!" Eren yipped. He wasn't sure if his face was red or pale from embarrassment.

"Mom used to make us talk baths together when we were younger and sometimes you would jump into the pool without your swimming trunks on-"

"I said _shut up!_" Mikasa giggled quietly when Eren's voice cracked under the pressure of a higher tone. Eren didn't want Mikasa speaking so loud, especially when Armin was still in the other room and probably listening to everything intently.

"Well it's true." She shrugged her shoulders and said. Her intense gaze was gone now and she seemed more playful than angry, although she still felt a little stung from being pushed.

"You're so embarrassing..." Eren grumbled to himself while rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, that was when we were kids. I'm an adult now." Mikasa smiled and rubbed her brother's head.

"My poor Eren..." She cooed. He glared up at her, giving her a bit of an annoying little brother look, even though he was older by two months.

"How was work?" He asked in a grumble. Mikasa sighed as she shrugged her shoulders again and finally walked away from the door. Eren followed closely, making sure she didn't try going to his room at some point (Because she would do that).

"The usual I guess. I had another client break something at the punching bag." She said.

"That's the second one this week. That can't be good." Eren said, a little worried himself.

"Normally I would be a little anxious about it, but they were both long time costumers. They're like family at the gym so I'm not worried." Mikasa assured as she pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. "What about you? How was work for you?" She asked.

"Ah, boring as usual. More selling crap to unappreciative assholes. _Wee._" Eren rolled his eyes as he spoke. Mikasa patted his back with a smile, but it was more of an "I feel sorry for you" smile.

"If you don't like the place, you could always quit." She suggested.

"We can't afford this apartment with just your salary." Eren mumbled. He would have been more than happy to quit, but such an expensive apartment needed money.

"You don't have to work so much though, Eren. A couple of days a week is fine." Mikasa said while rubbing his back. Eren looked up at her with a not too pleased expression.

"I'm not fifteen anymore, Mikasa. I'm twenty-one years old. Can't you treat me like an adult for once?" He asked. Mikasa didn't even think of the response. She only shook her head as a no. He sighed in defeat and watched Mikasa walk to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower, Eren." She said and disappeared behind the door to their bathroom. Eren nodded his head and waved, but he didn't make an audible response. He watched the door close, his heartbeat pacing faster and faster as he waited for Mikasa to truly be taking a shower. The shower started and a few minutes after that Eren deemed it safe for Armin to come out.b

Eren bolted from the living room back to his room. He peeked into his room to see it was empty.

"Armin, it's safe." He whispered. Armin's head popped up from behind the bed and his eyes looked at Eren.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Eren smiled and nodded his head.

"Yeah. Mikasa is in the shower." He said. Armin stood up from the bed and followed Eren out the door. They tiptoed past the bathroom door and to the living room where they left through the front door. Eren quietly closed the front door behind and when they were free and safe Eren slid against the door and sighed. Armin himself was leaning against the hallway wall, gripping his white shirt and panting like he had done a fifteen mile run under an hour.

Eren chuckled at the sight, but also to the obvious (but not so much to Armin) mix and mess of buttons. Armin had been in such a haste to get dressed that his shirt was completely crooked and his hair was still all over the place. Again it was another adorable thing for his childhood friend to do. Sure, Armin wasn't a kid anymore, he was another twenty-one year old hard working adult, but he was still cute.

"Your shirt," Eren pointed out. Armin seemed to be pulled from his moment of terror to hear Eren. He looked to Eren and then down to his shirt where his face went red from embarrassment, or _redder._

"Ah crap!" He started fiddling with the buttons of his shirt to fix it. Eren laughed again and stood up from the floor to aid in his friend's task. He started from the bottom while Armin worked on the top, and after half a minute they met in the middle. Armin's eyes widened when their hands brushed together and quickly from embarrassment he pulled away.

"S-Sorry," He mumbled. Eren chuckled.

"What are you apologizing for?" Eren asked. Armin took a moment to breathe properly, attempting to calm his nerves and compose himself. It worked. After a few seconds the color in his cheeks went away and his heart wasn't pounding so painfully under his skin. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head while he hummed.

"Never mind, it's nothing." He said. Eren seemed skeptical by his tone, but he decided that he'd ignore it for now. If it was important it'd come up again.

"Alright then," He said in a not-to-convincing tone. Armin stood by against the wall, his fingers beginning to fiddle with the end of his wrinkled shirt as he waited for Eren to continue. He didn't want him to, because then it'd end as fast as it started, and he didn't want that, but it had to end at some point. He could see the all too familiar look on Eren's face; that look of some regret mixed with guilt and sadness. It was coming; he just wished it didn't have to be now.

"So um..." Maybe it he started it then the pain wouldn't be as bad. That's what Armin hoped for. "I guess it's time for me to leave, huh?" He asked.

Nope. That didn't help.

Eren was surprised that Armin said it first. Normally he was the one who started the goodbye, but apparently that wasn't so today. Maybe Armin had somewhere more important to be?

"I guess so." Eren hid the sadness in his voice. He didn't want to let on that he didn't want Armin to leave yet.

"I should get going before Mikasa sees me." The blond said. Armin ran his fingers through his hair and sighed when feeling a knot in his hair. No doubt the knot was caused by Eren's grabby hands.

"Alright then..." Eren patted Armin's shoulder and turned to go back into his apartment. Armin turned away to leave, but then remembered something after feeling in his pocket for his cellphone.

"Oh yeah; Eren?" He said. Eren turned his head as he opened the door a little, his hopes perking up when hearing his friend call out for him.

"Yeah...?" He responded. Armin looked at him for a moment, a little quiet, but a small smirk was clinging to his lips.

"... If Mikasa has any pictures of you in the bathtub when you were younger, could you tell her to send those to me? I'd love to see them."

Eren dropped his head onto the door. The loud thud reverberated through the hall.

Armin broke into a supercilious laughter, along with some happy tears at the corners of his eyes. He wiped the corners of his eyes and waved his hand at Eren.

"I'll see you later, Eren." He said and started walking. Eren responded with a wave and a simple throaty sound to show he heard him.

This was the part they hated the most, because there was no kiss goodbye.

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"Jean, where are those orders?" Armin leaned against the hot counter and asked with an irritable voice.

"Tell those teenagers to be patient. I'm cooking as fast as I can." Jean flipped a pancake onto a plate and set it on the tray.

"Tell teenagers to be patient... You don't remember being a kid, do you Jean?" Armin retorted. Jean scoffed and wiped his forehead with his arm.

"I remember. Kids are just impatient. They have no morals or manners." Jean dropped the last pancake onto the plate sitting on the tray and gave it to Armin.

"Oh so very true," Armin rolled his eyes as he picked up one more cup filled to the brim with water and left Jean to his job. He left the kitchen and walked into the restaurant portion where only a few groups of people were.

Today was a slow day and he was happy about that, but there was this one group of kids who came in who were nothing but trouble. It wasn't that they were serious trouble, they were just loud and obnoxious and unfortunately that was where he was taking this order too. Armin had the tray over his shoulder as he walked up to the table; a wolf whistle from one of the girls annoyed him.

"Alright, who had the side order of fries?" Armin asked.

"That'd be me!" The boy at the far end of the booth raised his hand and bellowed while banging his hand against the table. The whole table of teens seemed to find his behavior funny and laughed at the sight. Armin inwardly grumbled to himself, not letting his irritation show. He had to lean over the table to hand the teen his food, and as if it wasn't enough, one of the girls reached out and grabbed at his butt. Armin yipped in response and stood up quickly, nearly dropping the rest of the food.

The whole group broke out into more obtuse laughter, one nearly falling out of the booth. Armin let out a small, pitiful chuckle, going along with them, but his face was red with embarrassment and anxiety. He didn't want to work this table anymore. He set down the rest of the food and left without another word. He paced himself back to the kitchen and once inside he fell against the wall.

"Oi, Armin, I heard you yip from here. What happened out there?" Jean asked. Armin bent his head over his knees, holding back a small sob while hiding his head in knees. "Armin...?" Jean pressed on.

Armin stood up, rubbed his hands against his eyes and shook his head. He walked out of the kitchen and to the bar where the next order had been placed. He reached out to get it, but Jean stopped him by smacking the back of his hand with the spatula.

"Armin, what happened?" He asked. Armin whined and rubbed the back of his hand. He quickly gave up, though, knowing Jean wouldn't let him work until he spilled his guts.

"Uh... One of the girls grabbed me, that's all..." He looked down at the floor, feeling ashamed for saying it and disgusted that it happened.

"_Grabbed you...?_ Grabbed you where? I'll kick her out!" Jean's voice boomed far above the hiss of the hot stove in anger. Armin shook his head and pushed Jean's spatula away.

"Don't, Jean. Let them eat and leave." He huffed and a tear nearly slipped past his blue (but slightly tinted red because he wanted to cry) eye. He bent his head down and rubbed his eye against his shoulder.

"Screw that! People can't just act like that an expect nothing as a consequence!" Jean's voice raised even more and Armin had to shush him so he wouldn't disturb the other costumers.

"Want me to get rid of them?" The two looked past Armin's shoulder and saw Annie sitting at the bar, her finger twirling a spoon in her drink. Her hair was tucked away in a bun behind her head, but her bangs were covering one eye and nearly touching her drink because she was hunched over so much.

They had nearly forgotten that she was there.

"Annie... W-What could you do?" Armin asked.

Annie looked up at the two without really moving her head and hummed. She sat up from her stool and disappeared down the isle of tables. The two shared a look at each other and then back to where their sight lost her.

About ten seconds later the group of teens came running out from their table, empty handed (besides what they came in with) and were screaming with fear. The one who had copped a cheap feel with Armin had tripped over her own two feet and was crawling away. She looked back to see Annie coming up from behind her and she quickly got to her feet and ran out after we friends.

Armin and Jean stood by, watching as Annie watched the kids get into their cars as fast as they could. Once they were completely gone, their cars far out of Annie's line of sight, she walked back over to the bar and placed a few crumpled bills on the counter.

"They aren't that bad. They left you a nice tip." She said with a bored tone and started stirring her drink again. Armin and Jean looked at each other again, but this time they broke out into laughter. Armin fell against the counter edge and wiped his eyes, tears falling from them because he was laughing so hard.

"Annie, if that's your way of asking for a job then you got it!" Jean said through his laughter. Annie didn't seem at all phased by the idea; she just nodded her head at the comment.

"Annie, thank you. You just made my day." Armin finished off his laughter with a fit of giggles. The apathetic expression on Annie's face turned into one with a small smile. Granted, it was small and weak looking, a little forced as well, but it was a smile all the same.

Armin took the money off of the counter and unscrambled it. He counted it out: five twenties and two tens. Armin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment before he looked to Annie.

"Annie, there is sixty dollars more than what they bought." He pointed out.

"I said they left you a nice tip." She mumbled with her lips to her drink.

"It's not like they're coming back for it." Jean leaned against the edge of the stove and poked the back of Armin's head with the spatula. Armin swatted him away and laughed.

"You're both rotten." He pushed the sixty into his pocket for safe keeping and put the rest in the register.

"Could you do that to every costumer so we can have those kinds of tips every day?" Jean asked. He didn't see it, but with Armin being so close, he could see the smile pulling at the ends of Annie's lips. Armin smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Jean, where is that next order?" Armin asked.

"It's right here. Keep your damn pants on." Jean pushed the food forward. Armin scrunched up his nose to the smell of the heavy, alcoholic drink that was with the food. He picked up the food and placed it up the tray and lifted the drink hesitantly.

He didn't like alcohol. Never had and never will. He remembered he tried some one time in his freshman year of college. It had been spiked (to his unknowing innocence) so it was extra strong, landing him in the hospital to get his stomach pumped. He wasn't going down that road again, whether the alcohol was strong or wasn't, whether that night was his fault or not.

He sighed as he walked with the drink and food to the table that had ordered it and served them. Thankfully it was a simple, older couple who were enjoying a nice evening out. This made Armin feel a little more secure and like he wasn't going to get felt up again. He made sure the couple was happy with everything before leaving with the empty tray in his hands.

Walking back behind the counter, he placed his tray down on the counter and looked back. There was only one order left and it was just getting started, so it was a good time to relax. He could see Jean already relaxing behind the stove, washing his hands and then cleaning some stray food particles around the kitchen before getting to work on the next meal.

At some point while Armin was serving, Annie had left. She left a ten dollar tip, a lot bigger than she normally left; normally she'd leave a two to three dollar tip. Armin picked it up and pushed it into his pocket and then cleaned her drink. He found it odd, but somehow funny, that Annie always ordered such a large drink on her lunch break and only had about a fifth of it. She never ate anything from there and he distantly wondered if she actually ever ate anything on her lunch breaks.

"Such a waste..." Armin sighed as he put the nearly full cup onto Jean's counter. "Here, Jean." He said. Jean turned around, his face showing immediate dejection.

"Awe man. I know it's just a drink but I work hard on the crap I make. She could, _at least_, take it with her." Armin chuckled at his response.

Before leaving for the kitchen where he could sit down, Armin felt strong arms wrap around his waist. He felt hands settle on his hips and he smiled just after jumping in his place from the initial touch.

"Don't scare me like that, Eren." He said. He heard the all too familiar chuckle of his friend behind him.

"I'm sorry," Eren apologized.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Armin turned around in Eren's arms so he could face the boy as he asked.

"What? I can't come by, see you and grab something to eat?" Eren asked with an adorable pouty face.

"No; I didn't mean "_here_" here. I meant what are you doing behind the counter? You're going to get me in trouble... Again." Armin playfully slapped Eren's shoulder and pulled out from his firm but also gentle grasp.

"Oh please. You aren't going to get in trouble." Eren scoffed and leaned against the counter.

"_Again,_" Armin repeated. Eren sighed in defeat and nodded his head. Before Armin even noticed the thoughts going through Eren's head, the taller boy jumped over the counter with little impertinence for the cleanliness of it or for the costumers around to see it. Eren landed on the other side of the counter and plopped his butt down into one of the stools. "God damn it, Eren; you're going to get me fired." Armin smacked Eren's shoulder from over the counter, but he couldn't stop himself from grinning and laughing.

"Alright, alright. I'm truly sorry." Eren held up his hands like he was throwing in the towel.

"Oi, Eren." Jean said from behind the stove in the kitchen. "Stop distracting my waiter. We're too busy for your crap today." Jean waved a whisk in Eren's direction as he spoke. Eren sat back in his stool and looked around, eyes curious before looking back.

"Yeah, you guys look _really_ busy today." He rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Armin, when did you guys put jackass on the menu?" He asked. Jean hugged from where he stood and went back to cooking.

"Eren stop it. Behave." Armin leaned against the counter so he could be closer to Eren. Eren did the same, closing the space between them so there was only a few inches left. "So, what can I help you with, Eren?" Armin asked.

"Well, let me think..." Eren wiggled around in his stool from side to side as he thought. The sight got Armin to chuckle. "Sasha and Christa invited Mikasa over for the night, which means I'll have the apartment all to myself for a night." A coy smirk arose on Eren's lips as he spoke. Armin felt a tingle go down his spine at Eren's words.

He wasn't stupid. He knew where this was going.

He peeked back at Jean to see where he was. Jean was standing by the sink and putting dishes in hot water. Seeing this, Armin took it upon himself and leaned in closer to brush his lips against Eren's, but just barely.

"Either you are implying something or we're just going to get together, watch horrifying movies and get drunk off of popcorn and soda; is that right?" Armin asked with a coy smile. Eren tilted his head to the side while his green eyes gazed into Armin's own blue ones.

"So what time will you be over?" Eren asked.

"I get off at five. Is a little bit after okay?" Armin questioned. Eren felt his own tingling sensation go down his back.

"Perfect," He said.

"Oi lovebirds," Jean interrupted. The two looked over Armin's shoulder to see Jean holding out a plate of food. "Sorry to bother you, but Armin has an order to deliver at table seven."

"I'll get it in a second, Jean. Don't worry," Armin assured. He looked back to Eren, his cheeks tinted pink from being caught in such an intimate speech between him and his friend. Eren lifted a daring hand to Armin's face and let his thumb brush over Armin's lips.

"Don't blush so easily now, Armin. I'd rather you save that for tonight when you're moaning my name." Eren brushed his fingers against Armin's flaring red cheek and winked his eye. With that and a wave to Jean, he left.

Armin wasn't so sure if he had ever blushed so much in his life. He was sure that he had blushed plenty of times before, but hearing those words come out of Eren's mouth, in public no less, well he could feel the heat radiating in his cheeks. He was simply frozen where he stood, still leaning against the counter with his eyes wide in shock. It was only when Jean threw a dirty rag at Armin's head that the boy finally snapped out of his daze.

"Hey, what's with you? Hurry up and serve people, will you?" Jean quipped. Armin collected himself with a heavy breath and a bite to the inside of his lip. He walked back over to Jean's counter to grab the prepared tray of food. He pulled it into his hands as Jean waved a hand at him. "Hey, I have a question."

"What is it?" Armin asked as he balanced the tray in his hands.

"Eren is always coming over here to see you and you guys are a little… _Clingy…?"_ His voice seemed questioning, as if he were trying to think of a better word to use, but not finding one. "Well you two are always together, so I was just wondering if you were… Well together?" He asked bluntly.

"T-Together?" Armin flushed at Jean's use of words. "You mean like dating?"

"Are you saying you are?" Jean asked.

"N-No!" Armin's voice cracked in his response. "No, we're just friends!" Jean smirked at Armin's blushing face and rather predictable response.

"So you're just friends?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Y-Yes, that's it." Armin said through a breath. "He's just a friend." Armin turned on his heel with the food on the tray. He dropped his head a little, hoping the bangs of his blond hair would cover some of his blush. He also hoped Jean would stop staring at him, which he could tell he was just by the pressure he felt.

"Just a _really_ good friend…" He murmured the last part.

* * *

The only sound in the room that wasn't panting and moaning was the movie playing on the television.

The two of them wrestled each other in the midst of Eren's apartment, bodies tangling together on the couch. Armin tilted his head back, letting Eren nibble on the exposed flesh of his neck. He let out a rather loud gasp in response to Eren's tongue against a sensitive spot on his neck and for a particular thrust to hit something deep within him.

"E-Eren," He let out. His hands reached up to wrap around the taller one's neck as he impaled himself down onto Eren's erection. "Right t-there," Eren smirked against his skin, a breathy chuckle leaving him as he thrust up into his friend sitting in his lap. Armin moaned in response, his grip around Eren tightening, as well as tightening around the length buried deep inside him.

"Hng… Shit…" Eren cursed. He could feel his release coming close. The pit of his stomach was tightening with pressure and ecstasy. He wasn't going to last much longer. "A-Armin…"

"Haah, h-harder," Armin begged. Eren could feel the walls around him tightening. Armin was close himself, there was no doubt about that. Eren made sure his grip around Armin's waist was firm before thrusting up harder as instructed. His aim was correct and Armin yelped with surprise and arousal. It then followed with a string of long, breathy mews and moans.

The pace they had previously set was now replaced with erratic thrusting and snaps of the hips. The sounds of their skin snapping together, of the couch under them starting to creak were erotic ones. Armin clenched tighter around Eren, feeling his orgasm reaching him. Eren grunted and buried his face into the crook of Armin's neck. At the same time he reached between them and grabbed Armin's throbbing erection to stroke it.

This sent Armin right over the edge. He cried pitifully as his muscles clenched, his body shaking as he released himself into Eren's hand. The almost painful tightness sent Eren into a blissful orgasm himself, releasing himself into his friend. It hadn't been his intention to do so at first, considering he didn't do it at all, but it was an accident.

The two sat flushed against each other, panting harshly while basking the aftereffects of sex. Armin let out small, quiet whimpers, his body twitching from the pleasure that gave him a temporary high. While coming own from that high he tipped backwards to rest on the couch. He didn't have the muscles to hold himself up anymore and Eren was too tired himself to do it. While doing so Eren pulled out of him; he whimpered at the loss.

"Crap…" Eren mumbled in a tired voice while looking down between his friend's legs. He could see his semen slipping out from Armin's entrance and it was somehow strangely arousing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's okay…" Armin shifted a bit to give him room as Eren laid down by his side. Eren dropped his head down onto Armin's shoulder and hid his face away under his damp hair. His arm draped around Armin's hips to which Armin held onto as his body sunk into a serious exhaustion. Armin let his head slip sideways to look away from Eren. He saw the TV playing the credits of the movie they had been previously watching and the chips they had been eating had been knocked over at some point.

'_Well… So much for watching movies…'_

* * *

**A/N: So, I had one thing I wanted to add to this but I didn't. It was a short and small thing, but I was adamant about ending this chapter here. If you would like to read what it was that I wrote, let me know and I'll post it later. :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hehe~ Little smexy time~ Oh yeah, warnings! We have a side pairing! Spoiler alert and blah blah blah. One more chapter to go! :D See you all... Next week. :3**

* * *

**It's A One Time Thing ****(Modern AU) They're are the only ones who trust each other enough to go this far. They keep sayings it's a simple thing, which it means absolutely nothing, but, to be honest, that couldn't be any farther from the truth.**

**Rated M: Sexual content, adult language****  
****Couple: Eren x Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

"Well hey there ladies," Armin greeted the three girls sitting at the table.

"Hey," Ymir grumbled.

"Hello..." Annie mumbled while brushing her bangs from her face.

"Hi, Armin!" Christa nearly cheered. Armin smiled at Christa's boundless energy as he leaned down against their table.

"What are you guys up to today? And wasn't Mikasa hanging out with you guys last night?" Armin asked.

"Not much really. We felt like going out for breakfast today." Ymir said while secretly motioning to Christa. Ymir leaned her head back against the booth bench while her hands held her head up comfortably. "Mikasa already went home. There's only so much we can handle of that perfect little princess before I try to kill her." She scoffed.

"Ymir, that's not nice." Christa reprimanded with a smack of her hand to Ymir's forearm. "Don't joke like that."

"I wasn't joking." Ymir muttered. Armin chuckled at the two girls. He looked over to Annie who had her head rather low, her bangs dipping into her soda.

"What about you, Annie? What's on your agenda after this?" Armin asked. Armin could swear he saw a hint of pink flushing under her cheeks. Annie looked away and frowned when realizing that she had been caught.

"Nothing..." She mumbled.

"Nothing...? Not even working today?" Armin asked.

"No," She shook her head.

"That's right. She doesn't have the joy of frightening poor children today. It's a Saturday." Ymir sneered in a smooth tone.

"Ymir," Christa smacked her leg under the table. "Be _nice._" Armin looked to the two and smiled.

They were the perfect example of a working relationship. They worked well with each other, both in an office and out. It took Ymir maybe five minutes to propose a marriage to Christa, but that was a normal thing for her. She got a marriage proposal every other day. It took about five years for her to return the feelings to Ymir.

That was about eight years ago. They shared an apartment and were rarely seen apart.

Armin admired them so much for that. He wished from the bottom of his heart that he could have some kind of relationship like that with someone. Someone strong and confident with a good heart. Someone more than likely taller than him, considering his height, but not overzealous about it. Someone with a nice complexion and soft hair so he could enjoy running his fingers through their hair.

_'Someone like Eren...'_ He distantly thought. His eyes widened with surprise, a blush dusting his cheeks when realizing that all of what he wanted had to do with his best friend. He thought he had locked away those feelings, but apparently he was wrong.

He needed to let go of that pipe dream. The only intimate thing they ever did was have sex, and that was only because neither of them had someone in their lives other than themselves to do it with. They picked each other as a simple fix when they needed it and that was it. Eren hadn't shown any signs of ever feeling anything other than friendship towards him. They were childhood friends and that was it.

"So Annie," Ymir spoke up, breaking Armin from his deep and depressing thoughts. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask Armin?" She asked.

Armin, being closer to Annie than he had realized, heard a low hiss come from Annie's throat.

"Shut up," She growled.

"I think you did." Ymir leaned across the table, her smug grin and narrow eyes frightening Armin.

"If you have to ask me something then you can." Armin said, a nervous chuckle leaving him when seeing the death stare Annie was giving Ymir.

Annie eventually sighed while dropping her head so her bangs could be in her face again. Armin had a puzzled expression on his face. He didn't know Annie was the hesitant type. Sure, she had admitted to being afraid of many things in the past, but hesitant? Not so much. He still remembered the time this four foot nine girl (who was thirteen at the time) kicked poor Reiner to his ass. Correction; she kicked him to the ground with his ass in the air. She had done the same to Eren a little bit before. There was no amount of hesitancy in her what so ever.

"Armin..." She mumbled.

"Hm...?" Armin tilted his head, his big, blue eyes innocent and secretly pleading for an answer.

"W-Would you like to..." She stopped to rub the bridge of her nose. "Do you want to go to the movies with me sometime?" She asked.

Well, Armin felt like had been slapped across the face with a babies foot. Surprised wasn't even a good enough word. Shocked was probably better.

"Uh... A-Are you asking me out on a date?" His face flushed as he asked. He could hear Christa giggling and Ymir snickering away from where they sat, but he didn't seem to register that into his head.

"If you don't want to go with me that's fine with me." Annie mumbled and her fingers grabbed at the spoon sitting in her soda to begin twirling it around.

"Aha, n-no, no. That's not it. It's just kind of sudden, that's all." Armin began to rub the back of his head, nervous laughter making him stutter. "I don't see any reason not to." He said. "I mean, it's only a movie, right?"

"Right, that's all." Annie couldn't bring herself to use a voice higher than a whisper.

"There are some good movies at the theater tonight. Why don't you go after work?" Ymir suggested and was quickly "rewarded" by a harsh and nearly bone breaking kick under the table from Annie.

"It's not a bad idea, actually. I get off at one so we can go see an afternoon showing if you'd like." Armin remarked. Annie had her head so low that her forehead was almost pressing into her drink, but that didn't stop her from nodding in an almost frantic manner.

"Okay," She muttered.

"Well then I'll see you a little after one, I guess..." Armin stood up straighter and pulled his little notebook back up with its pen in his hand. "Hey, are you guys going to order something or am I just standing here for nothing?" Armin immediately shot a look over to Christa and Ymir. Ymir was holding her sides, crying from the laughter she was trying to hold in. Christa was off in lala land, enjoying the scene unfold in front of her until Armin spoke.

"No. We're going to need a few more minutes." She waved her hand at Armin with a cheeky grin and a blush from ear to ear.

"Alright then," Armin pushed his notebook back into his pocket as he spoke, his voice showing his skepticism.

Deciding to ignore them, Armin left the three girls to their table. Just as he turned the corner, heading back to the kitchen, he heard Ymir shriek.

"Ouch, ouch! Annie, stop kicking me!" She cried. Armin rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen.

"What's so funny?" Jean asked, noticing the grin on Armin's face.

"Annie is beating Ymir up." Armin pulled his sleeves up his arms, hoping they'd stay up this time.

"... That's funny? She does it at least once a week." Jean went pack to flipping some pancakes on the grill.

"I guess... But something strange did happen." Armin said.

"Oh yeah; what's that?" Jean asked. He made it sound like he didn't care. Plenty of strange things happened every day and it honestly got old and boring. Nothing surprised him easily anymore.

"Annie just asked me out on a date."

He stood corrected. Jean turned around, leaving his food to overcook as he gave Armin a blank stare.

"… You're shitting me." He said.

"Nope. We're going to the movies after my shift is done." Armin laughed when Jean's mouth dropped.

"No fucking way! No _fucking_ way!" Jean left the stove to grab Armin's shoulders and spin him around so they could face.

"Yes, Jean. It's true." Armin swatted him away with his hands and motioned to the stove. "The food is burning." Jean turned around to see the black smoke rising from the burnt up rocks that used to be pancakes.

"Awe shit!" He cried as he grabbed at a wet dish rag. Armin would have laughed if it weren't for the near fire at the stove. He turned around and rolled his eyes, knowing Jean could handle it himself. "Now wait a minute, when did this whole thing come about?"

"What do you mean?" Armin asked. Jean already had the small situation under control, just like he had predicted.

"I didn't know Annie had a thing for you," Jean said, exasperated.

"Honestly, I don't think she does. Something tells me that this whole date thing isn't what I or you think it is." Armin handed Jean a box of pancake mix as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"I don't know myself. I get the feeling that it's not right, that's all." Armin said.

"So then… What about Bertholdt?" Jean questioned, his voice falling to a whisper, as if someone like Annie or said man would walk in on them talking.

"What about him? Nothing has happened yet and I don't intend for anything to happen." Armin stated. "I wouldn't actually date someone I knew my friend was in love with. Like I said, I feel like this date isn't what it's supposed to be, so I guess I'll just play it by ear and see what happens."

* * *

"Has your hair gotten longer?" Armin tilted his head, measuring Annie's hair with his eyes. When it wasn't up in a bun on the back of her head it was rather long, down to her shoulders even. It was just a little longer than his own, which was an inch or two away from his shoulders.

"It might have," Annie mumbled and looked away. Armin chuckled quietly when seeing the small blush on her cheeks. This wasn't a side of her he hadn't seen before, but he wouldn't say that he disliked it. It wasn't fitting for someone like her who was so apathetic and calm (Or mostly bored) most of the time, but seeing a bit of actual girl in her wasn't bad.

He didn't even know Annie owned a skirt. It was gray and went down to her knees, but it did well to accentuate her hips in all of the right ways. She wore a denim jacket, similar to Armin's, but it was cut up near her ribs and the sleeves ended by her wrists. The shirt she wore under it was a plain and simple one, pink to his surprise, but it wasn't at all explosive.

She cleaned up rather nice. Of course Armin wasn't one to gawk, but it did surprise him how nice she looked.

"I'm going to go ahead and guess that that's Christa's skirt." Armin regarded and pointed to the object he was talking about.

"Is it that obvious?" Annie asked, her voice as quiet as normal.

"I knew you didn't own a skirt." Armin chuckled as he pulled on the jacket around his shoulders.

"I'm not a skirt person." Annie remarked.

"How long did it take for her to convince you to wear it?" Armin stared up at the movies board, watching as the names of the new movies went across the screen.

"You'd be surprised how little it took." She grumbled.

"Would I…?" Armin was too busy paying attention to the movies to care too much. "What movies are you interested in by the way?" Armin asked.

"Uh, anything is f-fine." Did Annie just stutter? He must have heard her wrong.

"Well I don't want to get some sappy drama of a movie if you hate those kinds of things." He laughed a little as he looked away and back to Annie.

"I guess you have a point…" She looked up to the movie board, moving a little closer to him unconsciously. "Are there even any movies like that?" She asked.

He was glad that she was starting to talk more. It was hard to get Annie to talk, but once you did the deathly tension she let off slowly went away. Things didn't seem as awkward anymore, though there was still some tension.

"There's that one, but I already read that it got bad reviews." Armin pointed up at the movie in the list.

"I remember Ymir saying that it was some boring love movie." Annie stated.

"Well then I guess we can cross that one off the list." Armin said with a little sigh.

"What about that one?" Annie pointed up to a movie third on the list, a highly recommended one.

"That's a horror movie though. Will you be okay watching it?" Armin looked down at his friend and asked.

"I think so," Annie answered truthfully. It was nice to know that Armin wouldn't force her into something she didn't like, but then again, he had always been a bit of a gentleman. He was raised with proper manners.

"We don't have to see a horror movie if you don't want to. I'm okay with anything." Armin stated.

"No, it's alright. It looks like a good movie anyway." Annie tried her best to smile, but she looked like she feared the movie with her life more than being happy.

"Alright, I guess…" Again, Armin sounded skeptical, but he chose to ignore it. If Annie truly had issues with the movie then they could leave. He wouldn't force her to stay. "Well let's get tickets then." Armin said with a gentle hand against the small of her back.

Yep, he was a true gentleman.

Even though it was tradition for the person who asked another on a date to pay, Armin bought the tickets. Annie kept up a small argument, but she wasn't one for arguments, let along talking. Her argument fell short, and Armin paid for the tickets as planned.

The second argument they had was about snacks. Since Armin bought the tickets, Annie insisted on buying popcorn, soda, or whatever else their hearts fancied. Armin didn't want to keep the argument up for long, so he stopped and let her pay. He thought at least that way they wouldn't owe each other any money, or at least feel like they did.

Annie ended up buying a medium sized popcorn, a water bottle for her and a soda for Armin. She bought some chocolate for herself, but she said that if Armin wanted he could have some.

"Would you like some?" Annie held up the popcorn and asked. Armin stopped sipping on his soda and shook his head.

"Oh no. Keep that away from me until the movie starts." The blond boy stifled a laugh, but when he saw the look on Annie's face, one of confusion, he knew he had to elaborate. "I have a terrible tendency to eat all of the popcorn before the movie can even start." He explained.

"Oh, I see." Annie nodded her head. "Other people do that though. It's not only you." She said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they are proud of it either." Armin and Annie both chuckled as they started heading for their theater. They completely ignored the people around them who were pushing and shoving, ignorant and impatient for the movie.

They took their seats in the front row of the theater, being as they both enjoyed the seats. They were glad to see they both had that in common, meaning they wouldn't find something else to argue about. They stayed near the end of the isles, noticing that, even in the rather packed room, this spot seemed rather secluded.

"This is a nice theater," Annie commented. "The seats are nice too."

"Yeah, and look; they recline." Armin pushed the button on the side of the plush seat, making it slowly go down. Annie smiled at how funny Armin looked, which was a look of slowly rolling out of the seat.

"If they had something in these chairs to massage you, I would think you would be in heaven." She stated.

"I probably would." Armin curled into a ball into the chair and sighed. "Good night," He sighed. As he closed his eyes, enjoying the nice chair, he could feel his phone vibrate within his back pocket. He sat up and pulled it out.

"Make sure you turn that off before the movie starts." Annie reminded while nibbling on some popcorn.

"I won't forget, _mother_." Armin countered with. He unlocked his phone when seeing a text message. It was from Eren. It read:

_Eren: 1:47 pm;_

"_I need to see you tonight."_

Armin shivered at the sight of the text message. He looked past his bangs to see what Annie was doing. She was completely oblivious to his message while watching some people walk around. Armin focused back on answering the message.

"_What time and whose place?" _He typed in. He hit send and put the phone in his lap.

"When does the movie start?" Armin asked.

"It starts at two." Annie replied. Armin's phone vibrated in his lap. He jumped in place, surprised from the quick reply before unlocking his phone to read the message.

_Eren: 1:48 pm;_

"_Your place. Mikasa is here."_

Armin began typing in his phone:

"_Can you come by at around five?"_

Armin sat back in his seat and sighed. His phone went off again.

_Eren: 1:48 pm;_

"_I can't stay here right now."_

Armin tilted his head at the message. Something wasn't right. Eren didn't sound all too happy, even though it was just a text message.

"_Did something happen? Should we meet now?"_

Armin didn't want to break the date, but if something was wrong with Eren then he would. Eren suddenly replied to the text message from before.

_Eren: 1:49 pm;_

"_It's not important. I'll meet you at five."_

Armin frowned at the message. It didn't sound unimportant, but there wasn't much he could do right now.

"_I'll see you then."_

Armin sighed. He felt bad, but he didn't know what for. He didn't know what was wrong with Eren and he couldn't find out. It wasn't like Eren would tell him right now either.

"Is something wrong?" Annie asked. She had seen the frown on Armin's face and heard his constant sighing while he was looking at his phone.

"Oh. No, nothing is wrong." Armin gave her a warm smile and said.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah. My friend is just reminding me to send him something in an email later. I nearly forgot." He didn't like lying, but he didn't want her worrying over something small and simple. Well, that and because it wasn't easy to tell your date that you were going to go home after this and have sex with your best friend.

Nope. Not easy.

"Okay," Annie looked up at the screen, noticing the advertisements starting to go across. The lights were dimming and Armin opened his phone so he could turn it off. Just before hitting the power button, he noticed one more message from Eren.

_Eren: 1:51 pm;_

"_I'll tell you later…"_

* * *

"I underestimated it, that's all." Annie smiled as Armin led her down the hallway of their apartment building. She lived in the same building as him, but on a different floor. It worked out better for him; he could walk his date home and then go up two floors to his own home.

"Annie, you had your head in my neck five minutes into the movie." Armin laughed at the blush on her cheeks.

"So did you," She countered.

"Little girls are frightening!" Armin whined. Annie giggled in response. "You actually screamed when the girl came out from the room though." Armin argued.

"You must not have heard yourself scream then." Annie poked his arm and said.

"I did not scream," Armin muttered. "… I yipped. There's a difference." His answer got Annie to laugh quietly into her hand. "Alright, we both underestimated it." He concluded.

"Yeah, we did. I don't think the people behind us deserved popcorn in the face though." Annie said.

"I told you not to let me hold it. The blame falls onto you." Armin nudged her shoulder with his.

"You threw it," She continued.

"Alright, enough about me!" Armin threw his hands into the air in defeat. Annie quietly laughed into her hand again as the two made their way to her door. "Let's talk about you," He suggested.

"What should we talk about?" Annie asked casually. Armin leaned against her apartment door as she began sifting through her small handbag for her keys.

"What made you suddenly ask me on a date?" Armin asked. Annie froze in place, her hand stilling within her purse as she looked up to him without moving her head. "I mean you've never shown interest in me before, that's why I'm asking." Armin shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

"I just… Wanted to…" She replied quietly.

"Annie, we've known each other for almost eleven years now. You don't have to lie to me." Armin said. Annie pulled her hand from her purse and leaned against the wall beside him. She sighed as she pushed her bangs out of her face and tucked them behind her ear.

"I lost a bet with Ymir…" She mumbled. Armin nodded his head when hearing the reason.

"I thought something was off." He said with a smirk.

"I didn't want to say anything though. I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Annie murmured. "I didn't think you'd say yes to the date either."

"I was being polite. I already knew something was up by the way Ymir couldn't breathe because she was laughing so hard." Armin said and chuckled.

"You aren't upset then?" Annie looked up past her bangs with hopeful eyes.

"Of course not. Besides, I had fun. It wasn't a bad date." Armin mused as he stood up from her door. "And if it helps, you can tell Ymir and Christa whatever you want." He added.

"I'll do that." She smiled slightly. "Thanks for understanding."

"Like I said, I was just being polite." Armin waved his hand at her and rolled his eyes. "Besides, I know I could never stand up to Bertholdt when it comes to this kind of stuff." Armin almost broke into laughter when seeing Annie's face turn as red as the flower painting beside her door.

"You know about that?" She asked, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

"Annie, everyone knows. I have bets with Eren on when you two are going to stop playing cat and mouse and just get together already." He retorted with a chuckle. Annie leaned her head against the door, sighing to herself.

"Right…" She murmured. Armin frowned when seeing the thin line on her lips and the sheen of something in her eyes.

"… He's pathetically in love with you, you know." He proclaimed.

"I know…" His friend answered.

"He has been for years now too." Armin gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"No… It just isn't easy." She looked up to him with almost pleading eyes.

"Whoever said it was easy? Of course it isn't easy. It never is, but why bother with the "what if's" and spend your life wondering when you could simple find out for yourself?" Armin asked. Annie's stare lingered on him before looking away. "You may not know how you feel for sure, but avoiding his affection won't solve any of the questions in your head." He added.

"And don't say it's easier because then you can just avoid it. That's not true." Armin knew what she was thinking and it wasn't hard to read her. The fact that she opened her mouth to stop his argument just proved it. "It'll bug you and eat away at you until you can't handle the pressure and break. You know that better than anyone." He said.

"I guess I do, don't I?" Annie swallowed a thick lump in her throat that was constricting her breathing.

"You really are a scardy cat." Armin patted her shoulder and said, a small smirk on his lips. Annie chuckled and nodded her head.

"I am, but I think I know that this is a moment where I've been more scared than anything." Annie said. Armin smiled as he leaned forward, brushed some hair from her face, and pressed a small kiss to her cheek. Annie's eyes widened as she stared up at her friend.

"You're tougher than you let yourself on to be, Annie, but you shouldn't be afraid. Bertholdt does love you so it's not like he'd turn you down." Armin stated. "Or is it that you are afraid of turning _him_ down?"

"That's not it." Annie uttered.

"Then what is it?" Armin asked. Annie looked to her feet, a quiet atmosphere settling between them. "You can tell me, Annie. You know you can."

"… Bertholdt and Reiner were there for me for years. If I messed things up with Bertholdt… Who else would be there for me?" Annie's voice shook more as she spoke. It was obvious how much this scared her, and Armin knew this feeling all too well. "I'd be all alone… They're the only family I have left…"

'_This is what I constantly think about with me and Eren…'_ Armin thought.

"You don't know that though…" Armin said. "And if you're constantly wondering what'll happen then you'll make yourself sick, but I can't help that. If you're truly afraid of that, then tell Bertholdt that. He'll understand and from there you guys can talk that out."

Annie felt the phone in her inner breast pocket of her jacket. Was she really considering what Armin was saying? Fifteen years of the two hiding their feelings and she was really thinking of saying something?

Something must have been in that soda she had at the theater.

"Annie…?"

"Hm?"

"You okay?" Armin tilted his head as he looked at his smaller friend.

"… Yeah, I think so." Annie reached into her purse and pulled the keys to her door out. Armin watched with a small frown as she unlocked her door and slipped inside. "Armin…" She mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." She said with a small smile. "I had a good time." She continued. Armin smiled and waved.

"I'm still nothing compared to Bertholdt, but you're welcome." He said while turning away. "So I'll see you tomorrow at work?" He asked. Annie nodded her head and waved her hand.

"See you later, Armin." She closed the door behind her and Armin made his way to the elevators. Annie leaned against her door, staring at her empty apartment with forlorn. She reached into her breast pocket for her phone and pulled it out. After scrolling through a few names within her contacts, she reached the one she was looking for.

She quickly hit dial on Bertholdt's name before she had time to think twice.

* * *

Armin stepped out of the elevator with his hands in his pocket and his head down. He was glad that Annie was going to listen to him and try to follow what she felt, but Armin noticed the double standard. Her situation with Bertholdt was similar to his with Eren and he hadn't said a word to Eren. While he wanted to, now more than ever, he wouldn't. He couldn't risk losing the only family had had left.

"Armin…?" Armin lifted his head to the sound of his name being called out. He saw Eren standing by his door, a confused look on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Remembering that Eren was supposed to come over, Armin pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time.

"Oh crap. I'm sorry, Eren; I lost track of the time." He was half an hour late. He didn't expect to spend so much time with Annie, thinking they were only going to see a movie, but they ended up shopping a little at the mall after that.

"It's alright," Eren mumbled. Armin cocked an eyebrow at him, noticing the scratchy tone he had. He didn't sound well.

"W-What are the flowers for?" He asked while pulling his hands behind his back so he could nervously twiddle his fingers together. Eren looked down to the flowers in his hands; his cheeks dusted a pink color as he shifted in place.

"T-The flowers on your table were dying." He said and held them out. Armin smiled, his own cheeks turning red as he took them from Eren.

"Thank you, Eren." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys for his apartment. "Well then, let's not stand around here and let them die. Come on in." Armin unlocked his door and walked into his apartment. Eren followed and took off his shoes so he didn't drag any dirt into the apartment.

Armin's apartment was small. Living alone, he didn't need much space, but he also couldn't afford much. It wasn't bad in Armin's eyes; a simple bedroom for him, a kitchen and living room connected together and a small bathroom with a shower. Eren insisted Armin live with him and Mikasa, fearing Armin would get sick in a place as small as his, but Armin disagreed to it. He wanted to live on his own so he didn't feel like he was taking advantage of their friendship. He already had asked a lot from them over the years, so he didn't want to ask any more of them.

"So did your shift run long today?" Eren asked. Armin set the flowers down on the kitchen counter.

"No, I got off at one." Armin said. Eren hummed as he sat at the small table.

"So what'd you do in your free time?" He questioned.

"I don't think you'd believe me, even if I told you." Armin said as he pulled his jacket off and set it on the edge of the chair Eren was in.

"Try me," Eren challenged with a smirk. Armin noticed the small hint of sleep in Eren's eyes, like he was tired.

"I was on a date with Annie." Armin smiled in a devilish way when seeing the shock fly across Eren's face.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"Jean's reaction was better." Armin pointed out. He left an astonished Eren in his chair and went to the flowers.

"You're kidding me," Eren scoffed.

"Nope," Armin pulled a knife from the drawer and cut the ends of the flowers off. "We went to see a movie and then we walked around the mall for a couple of hours." Armin explained. Eren watched with a deadpanned expression as Armin continued caring for the flowers. He pulled the plastic wrap off of them, filled the vase from his table with water, discarded the old flowers, and put the new flowers in. "Then I dropped her off at home and now I'm here." Armin finished.

"S-So that's it…?" Eren asked. He did his best to hide the pain lacing his emotions.

"Yeah, pretty much." Armin turned around with the vase of flowers and set it down on the table in front of Eren. "So, why was it you needed to see me today?" Armin asked. Eren was still reeling from the news Armin had just given that he didn't hear the question. "Eren…?"

"Huh?" Eren shook his head a little.

"You didn't sound right when you texted me. Did something happen today?" Armin asked.

Eren had been so dumbfounded by the thought that Annie and Armin had gone on a date that he had nearly forgotten about what it was he needed from Armin. He remembered and he wished he hadn't. He had already been in a bad mood, and now this happened.

"Eren, what's wrong?" Armin placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and asked.

"I-I uh… I lost my job today…" He mumbled. Armin paled in complexion at the news.

"What, but why?" He sat down in the chair next to Eren and pulled it close to him. He placed a hand over Eren's and gave him a sympathetic and loving stare. Eren couldn't help but fall for those big, blue eyes of his, but his heart was aching, and it wasn't because he lost his job.

"Our department had to give layoffs to fifteen people today… I was one of them." Eren answered and forced his eyes away from Armin's. Armin touched Eren's cheek and dragged his fingers through the fringe in Eren's hair. The sympathetic look he was wearing for Eren was killing him. He didn't care for the job. He didn't care if he lost his job, because there were plenty of jobs in the world. His heart was still stinging at the information about him and Annie.

But why? Armin was never his to begin with. Their relationship was platonic, a complete false lie of a relationship. They were friends since childhood and that was it.

"I'm so sorry, Eren." Armin apologized. Eren shook his head, Armin's hand still gently resting on his cheek.

"What are you apologizing for? You didn't lay me off." Eren attempted a smile, but he couldn't do it. Armin hated that. He wanted to see Eren smile.

Armin stood up from his chair and went back to the kitchen. He opened up a cupboard and pulled out a box of rice.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked.

"I'm going to make you something to eat. Just sit back and relax for a moment." Armin said. He pulled out a bowl and poured the dry rice in it. Eren watched his friend start to cook. He watched as Armin pulled out more things from the fridge and worked them into his cooking.

He watched the muscles under his shirt move with his body, flexing and relaxing as he moved. His shirt wasn't covering his neck like his jacket had been, so the skin of his neck and a bit of his shoulders were exposed to the world. His hair brushed against his delicate shoulders when he lifted his arms and then rubbed against the skin of his cheeks and neck. He looked so soft and inviting.

'_Why did it have to come to this…?'_ Eren wondered as he stood up from his chair. He stood behind Armin and wrapped his arms around Armin's waist, pulling him close so his back was pressed against his chest.

"E-Eren…?" He froze up as Eren brushed some of his hair off of his neck. Eren softly pressed his lips to the skin presented to him and he could feel Armin's hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He sucked on this one spot, careful not to leave a mark in such a noticeable place, even though he wanted to. Eren's hand slowly made its way down to the front of Armin's pants where his palm kneaded at the flaccid flesh hidden away. He felt Armin squirm beneath him.

"W-We just did it last night…" Armin murmured. He tilted his head back, allowing more of his neck to be devoured by Eren's needy lips. The multiple sensations of the kisses and sucking to his neck to the heat pooling together in his lower abdomen had him sighing. "Eren," He whined and shuffled his hips.

"I want to do it now though…" Eren breathed against his skin. Armin could feel the heat rise to his cheeks and the glaze of lust fog over his eyes. He could feel his pants tighten as Eren pressed down harder on him, almost relentlessly. Eren's lips traveled up his neck and to his ear where he blew into it. It made his knees quake and his body shiver with delight.

"Ngh," Armin bit his lip to suppress the sounds he was so desperate to release.

"Please…?" Eren begged into his ear.

How could he possibly say no when Eren sounded like that? In short of being sore for the next couple of days, it was far too late to think rational thoughts.

Armin nodded his head. He turned within the trap that was Eren's arms and draped his own over Eren's shoulders. His hands scrapped at Eren's shirt as he held onto his shoulders, desperate for something to hold on to. He pulled him in for a kiss without thinking twice and moaned as Eren continued to fondle him. The sudden forcefulness of it had Eren gasp within Armin's mouth, but it didn't take too long to slip his tongue into the well-known territory and find what he was looking for.

Their tongues began to battle for dominance, but to Armin it was never a battle. Eren always won, taking over his mouth and lavishing him completely. This time was no exception. Eren's mouth seemed more eager today, however. In fact, all of him seemed eager.

As they fought each other in their heated embrace, Eren's hands found their way to his legs where he pulled them out from under Armin. Armin got the point and wrapped his legs around Eren's hips to keep himself up. In this position, he could feel Eren's erection straining against his pants. He could feel his own give an involuntary twitch.

"Eren…" Armin breathed against his lips. "T-The bed…" He mumbled. Eren broke their desperate kiss to press his lips against the pale column of Armin's throat. While servicing him, Eren made sure his grip was tight around Armin's legs before carrying him to the bedroom. His door had been open, to Eren's luck, so he wasted no time in throwing Armin down onto his bed.

Armin gasped as he fell, but it became muffled by Eren's lips. Eren settled himself on top of Armin, pushing his legs open with his body and grinding his hips into his smaller friend's without hesitation. Armin rewarded him with a loud moan into his mouth, something that made him shiver.

Armin couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that was plaguing him. What Eren was doing was wonderful, without a doubt, but there was something different, like he was trying to communicate something other than their previous times. He seemed desperate, among other things, but the way he kissed his with as much vigor as he could, it almost seemed like he was… Possessive…? Was that the right word? Armin's mind was so fogged up with lust that he couldn't think straight. All he knew was that Eren was acting a little strange and that was it.

"Shit," Eren cursed in a heavy pant as their kiss broke. Armin stared up at his friend, his body numb to the point that he felt like he couldn't move anything other than his hips. Eren's lips fell back on his neck, attacking the soft skin on his collar bone. Armin writhed beneath him while his hands found his way into that soft, brown hair that he loved. He gave a little tug, something that made Eren groan with pleasure. "Tease," He breathed on Armin's neck.

Armin let out a halfhearted chuckle, his breath hot and airy. Eren continued to attack that one spot. Screw his or Armin's pride; he didn't care. He sucked until a visible red spot was clear and bright on his skin. Most of it would be gone by tomorrow, but at least the impression of it was there.

"D-Don't do that, Eren." Armin whined. Eren stilled his movements, his lips just barely pressing to Armin's neck. Armin noticed a sudden tension in his friend. He looked up to Eren, watching as the brown-haired boy sat up a little to look down at him. "What's wrong?" Armin asked.

Eren sat up more to slide away from Armin and sit on the edge of the bed. Armin sat up too, pulling his legs up to his chest as a means to close himself off. He felt so vulnerable when Eren wasn't with him.

"Eren…?" He called out. Eren was so still that it almost looked as if he was dead, and if it weren't for him having to breathe it would probably seem that way.

"Can I… Ask you something?" Eren asked in almost a whisper.

"Of course you can. You can ask me anything you want." Armin scooted up to Eren and pressed his hands onto Eren's back. He wanted to know why Eren would stop so suddenly in such an intimate moment. In all the years they had been having sex, Eren had never stopped, not even once.

Something was definitely wrong.

"H-How long have you been seeing Annie?" Eren asked, his voice still quiet.

"How long have I been seeing _Annie?_" Armin repeated. Eren nodded his head. Armin tilted his head, confusion written all over his face from such an odd question. Was he joking? If so, then the answer only prompted a funny response.

"Well… We met about eleven years ago, so I saw her then, and last week I saw her walking down the hallway while I was heading to work, and then yesterday she was at the diner for lunch-" He thought he had been funny, a small smile creeping onto his lips, but Eren proved him wrong. He sat up from the bed, nearly knocking Armin backwards in the process.

"I'm serious, Armin!" He barked. Armin's eyes widened from his response. He sat up on his knees and tried to grab Eren's hand, but he swatted him away.

"Eren, I-I don't understand what you mean." Armin stuttered.

"What is there _not _to understand? How long have you been seeing Annie?" He asked again. His voice was laced with anger, shaking and wobbling all over the place. His eyes were glassy, but Armin didn't think that it was because he was aroused.

"I haven't been seeing her at all." Armin stood up from the bed, his own voice rising with irritation.

"Didn't you just say that you went on a date with her today?" Eren asked.

"Yes I did, Eren. A _date._ That doesn't mean nor imply anything!" Armin was already beginning to shout.

"It implies a lot of things!" Eren shouted back.

"Like what, Eren? That we'd hit it off right away, get married, and have a couple of kids together?" Armin asked.

"It could if you played your cards right," Eren hissed.

"What does it matter to you anyway? Why do you care?"

"It doesn't matter! I don't care what happens!"

"Then what the hell do you care what I do with my love life?" Armin dared to shove Eren by the shoulders. Eren felt his heart be hit with a ton of bricks while his knees hit the back of the chair to Armin's desk.

_Love life?_ Armin had one? With who? Was he talking about with Annie or someone else? It never crossed Eren's mind that, while they had sex to satisfy their own needs, Armin could have easily been seeing someone else.

"I don't care!" Eren yelled and shoved Armin back as well.

"Good, then stay out of my love life!" Armin yelled back.

"I'll make it easy for you; I'll just stay out of your life all together!" Eren pushed past Armin, their shoulders bumping together in the process. Eren slammed Armin's bedroom door behind him and a few seconds after that Armin could hear his apartment door slam shut.

Armin was physically shaking from the exertion of yelling. He was panting from the lack of air and his hands were clenching by his sides. He ground his teeth in irritation as he reached for a pillow on his bed. He chucked it at his door and yelled.

"Asshole!" He cried. He slumped against the wall and fell to the floor, tears beginning to slip from his eyes. He pulled his knees up to his chest to hide his face and the tears that were soaking his cheeks. He lifted his head up to wipe his face with his hands, but it did nothing to make the tears go away. They slipped out even when he had his eyes close. There was no doubt in his mind that his eyes would be swollen by morning.

"T-This is exactly what I was trying to prevent…" He cried into his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi DA users! So the reasons I brought you hear is because DA said this was too big to put up there. XD Everyone else, HIIII~! It's finally over! X'D Thank you all for the reviews and future reviews I get. They're all so sweet and I love them all! Oh, and more cookies, I love those too. XD With this done, I can focus on that Ereri one shot and a new Eremin fanfiction I'm going to get up after Potent probably. It's called Dead of Night, so keep an eye out for it. **

**Plug plug, okay, I'm done. XD Gosh, this chapter was hard to write. I had moments set in my head perfectly, but how to recreate into words and make them what I wanted was the hardest part. Especially the scenes between Eren and Armin when everything is revealed. That was hard. Really hard. I said I'd get this out on the weekend and I meant it though! I feel like it's kind of lacking with some scenes, so please let me know what you think. *-***

**Song of the day:**

**Number 9 (No. 9)**

**By: T-Ara**

* * *

**It's A One Time Thing ****(Modern AU)**

**They're are the only ones who trust each other enough to go this far. They keep sayings it's a simple thing, which it means absolutely nothing, but, to be honest, that couldn't be any farther from the truth.**

* * *

**Rated M: Sexual content, adult language****  
****Couple: Eren x Armin****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin**

* * *

Armin had walked into work the next day with a look that suggested he was hung over. He wasn't, but he had barely gotten any sleep, and the bags under his eyes proved it. He had been right the day before; all of the crying had left his eyes swollen slightly. He completely ignored Jean's morning greeting, which was the same every day; a simple "Morning Shorty" and a wave of the hand in his direction. When Jean noticed his sluggish behavior, the comments were almost immediate.

"What, is Annie a little too mature for you?" He asked with a laugh. Armin groaned and shook his head. "What's up? You look like you've been to hell and back." Jean stated, and he was right.

Armin's hair hadn't been brushed, he had dark circles under his eyes, his posture was low and weak, and he kept yawning into his hand every five minutes.

"Well obviously something happened between you too. I mean, just look at that hickey." Jean poked at Armin's neck where the red skin was. Armin huffed and swatted his hand away, but his cheeks were red. He knew Eren had left a mark.

"Stop it. It's none of your business." He huffed.

"What? Does Annie like it rough?" Jean teased.

"Knock it off. Besides, Annie didn't do this."

Oh... _Bad_ choice of words...

"Whoa wait! You mean you got action from someone who wasn't your date?" Jean's mouth was slightly open from shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, especially from a boy who never uttered the word "date" in his life. Armin simply blushed and grabbed a band aid from the first aid kit. "So wait... Do you, like, get prostitutes and stuff like that?" Jean asked.

"Of course not. Do I honestly look like that type of person?" Armin placed the band aid over his skin to hide the mark. God forbid Annie came in and saw it.

"No, but if you think about it, it would work out. I've never seen you with someone, you never talk about dating, and all you do is work. If you slept with someone it's not like a crime." Jean explained.

"I'm not that kind of guy, Jean." Armin turned around to face his friend. "And it's not like I don't date by choice." He added.

"Well," Jean mused as he slowly strode over to Armin. While Armin was trapped against the counter, Jean placed his hands on either side of his hips to keep him from moving. "If it wasn't Annie and you aren't getting prostitutes to take care of you, then could it be that it was Ere-" Just before he could finish, the bell on the front door of the diner rang. Armin thanked his lucky stars and slid out from Jean's grasp so he could go help who was ever out there.

"Tell them we aren't open yet." Jean grumbled.

He knew he was right. He had to be. The only person Armin ever spent any personal time with was Eren, and while he didn't have any definitive evidence, it made sense.

"Yeah, yeah." Armin waved his hand back at Jean as he walked out into the diner portion or the restaurant. He saw only one person by the door, looking lost and confused. "Sorry miss we aren't-" Armin began, but he stopped when realizing who it was. "Oh, Mikasa," He said.

Mikasa turned her head to look and him and Armin thought she looked just as bad, if not worse than he did. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red, her hair was tousled and hadn't been brushed, her cheeks and nose were red, and the rest of her skin was pale like she had seen a ghost.

"Armin..." She mumbled. Armin hated the way her voice sounded. She sounded like a gagged cat (not that he would know what one sounds like).

"Is something wrong, Mikasa?" He asked as he stepped out from behind the counter. Mikasa held up her hands to cross them over her chest, as if protecting herself. Armin also noticed her cellphone being crushed between her white fingers.

"Did... Did Eren stay with you last night?" She asked. Armin knew something was wrong by the way she couldn't look into his eyes.

"No, he left after a while. Why?" Armin asked.

"E-Eren never came home last night." She said. Armin's eyes widened with surprise and fear. "He won't answer his phone and he isn't answering any texts I send him. He only said he was going to see you the last time I talked to him." She explained.

"... No, like I said, he left after seeing me." Armin couldn't bring his voice above a dull murmur anymore. Mikasa covered her mouth with her hand, trying to keep herself from choking up and sobbing right in front of Armin, but her friend wasn't blind to such things.

"We were arguing yesterday, b-because he lost his job. I kept saying that I'd pick up more hours; it wasn't a problem, but he... He got so mad at me. He didn't want me doing that. He said I work too much as it is." She said in a shaky voice. Armin had never seen her so defeated before.

"He left saying that he was going to see you, but he left at ten and... I-I hoped that he was still with you." A stray tear slipped down her cheek and Armin swallowed a guilty lump in his throat. He quickly pulled his sullen friend into a hug and rubbed her back, hoping to bring her some comfort and condolence, but it didn't seem to help. If anything, it only made her cry more.

"Please don't cry; I'm sure he's alright." Armin assured, but he wasn't as positive about that as anyone else. He didn't know that Eren had been through an argument with Mikasa, he only knew about his lack of employment. He hadn't even known that Eren had left his home at ten in the morning to see him. Had Armin known the situation, he would have gladly called off work and stayed with him so he wasn't alone, but it was too late for that.

Eren was missing. No one knew where he was and he wouldn't answer his phone. For all they knew, he could have been kidnapped by some sick molester and was being raped as they spoke. Without him answering his phone they had no way of knowing the truth.

"I didn't mean to make him mad; I was just trying to help." Mikasa sobbed lightly against his neck.

"I know and I'm sure he knows too. He just doesn't want you getting sick or tired from working too much." Armin pulled back to look into her eyes. "You know how Eren is. He only got mad because he was afraid." Armin said.

"I know…" Mikasa mumbled. Armin offered her a weak smile.

"Let me talk to Jean and Hitch. Maybe I can get out of work today and I can help you look for him." Armin suggested.

"Okay, but I don't see what you can do." Mikasa mumbled.

"I can be there." Armin said. "Hey Hitch!" Armin called out. Said girl appeared behind one of the tables, her dirty-blond hair pulled up into a messy pony tail and her apron simply hanging off of her neck and loose.

"What is it?" She asked curtly.

"I need to leave. Do you think you can handle things here for today?" Armin asked. Hitch was immediately whining, tossing her hands around in a rude manner while her voice was loud and obnoxious.

"Come on! Today is a Friday and I don't want to have to deal with all of the kids that come in after school all by myself!" She complained.

"I'll let you have all of the pay I get today." Armin said.

"… Okay." Hitch tied her apron around her waist and went to the kitchen where Jean was. Armin looked over to Mikasa and shrugged his shoulders when she gave him a puzzled expression.

"It's not like I'll be here to earn anything." Armin took his apron off and set in on the counter. "Come on, let's go find Eren.

* * *

The two had been on their search since early in the morning, checking all of the places they knew Eren liked to go to, but he wasn't at any of them. They constantly kept trying with their phones, but eventually Eren's mailbox became full. They couldn't leave any messages on his phone and could barely get through to begin with. The last message was a simple plead and beg from Armin.

"Hey, Eren. Please answer your phone. Mikasa and I don't know where you are and we're getting worried. At least answer your phone so we know you're okay."

Armin left that at one thirty-three. It was now eight in the evening. There was no sign from Eren. Now the two were sitting on the couch in his and Mikasa's apartment, both cell phones sitting on the coffee table in front of them, and waiting. Mikasa was biting her poor nails down to the numb and Armin kept smacking at her hands, but the poor girl had nothing else to do. There was nothing to distract her tired mind of anything less than Eren and that left her filled with anxiety and fear. Armin was feeling the same way, but not wanting to upset Mikasa anymore by showing his own weakness, he simply kept quiet.

"We should call the police…" Mikasa mumbled.

"They won't do anything until he's been missing for, at least, forty-eight hours." Armin said.

"My brother is missing. I can't simply sit by and wait." Mikasa stood up from the couch to grab her phone. Armin stopped her, earning himself a death glare, but he stood his ground.

"Unfortunately that's all we _can_ do. We have to sit by and wait until either Eren shows up or forty eight hours have gone by." The blond said.

"This is driving me crazy!" Mikasa cried in frustration.

"I know it is. I'm worried about him too, but there's nothing we can do." Armin mumbled.

He hated this just as much as she did. He didn't want to wait. He didn't want to be patient. He didn't want to sit back and simply hope that Eren was alright. He wanted answers.

He wanted to know that Eren was okay. He wanted to know that his friend was alive and not buried in a ditch somewhere. He wanted to know that Eren wasn't in a hospital with an IV in each arm and a ventilator to help him breathe.

He was about ready to pull his hair out. He wanted to cry and he wanted to scream. He felt scared and sad and guilty all at once. He should have never let Eren leave last night.

"W-What if he's hurt somewhere, Armin?" Mikasa questioned. "What if he's been kidnapped or raped or beaten for money or-" Armin quickly stopped her by pressing his hands into her cheeks.

"Don't do that, Mikasa. If you keep thinking like that you'll make yourself sick." Armin reprimanded. "And asking questions like that isn't going to help anyone. It's not going to find Eren and it won't answer the real questions." He did his best to get the point across, wanting Mikasa not to say or even think of these things again.

It seemed to work. Mikasa sniffled a little, trying to clear herself of the sobs that dared to make herself look weak. She offered him a weak and pathetic smile, but it was genuine all the same. She was listening to his words and it made him feel a little better.

Mikasa and Eren had said before that he did more for them than he realized. He guessed one of the things he did was being able to talk to them and make them feel better. If so, then he was doing rather well with it. He was glad that he could give back for once.

"Mikasa, I can't say things are going to be alright, because I don't know that, but I can promise you that Eren wouldn't do anything to get himself into serious trouble." Armin assured. "He _is_ smarter than he looks. Even you should know that." The small joke got a bigger smile on Mikasa's lips, and even a small, timid one on Armin's.

"You're right," She mumbled.

"Aren't I always?" Armin finally released her from his tender grasp as he spoke. Mikasa chuckled from the funny remark, and just as she did her phone began to vibrate on the coffee table. Both of them would have missed it if it weren't because it was leaning on glass. Mikasa's initial reaction wasn't violent. She went to pick up her phone like it were any other phone call. It was only when she saw the caller ID that she went right back into her panicked state.

"It's Eren!" She exclaimed as she picked up the phone. Armin did a running leap over the couch and plopped down on the other side by Mikasa as she answered her phone. "Hello, Eren?" She answered. Armin watched with anxious eyes as she listened to the voice on the other line. He could scarcely hear Eren's voice.

"It's okay, Eren. Where are you?" She asked. There was a long pause. "What do you mean you don't know where you are?" Mikasa asked. Armin hadn't noticed that he was biting his hand until the physical pain broke through his mind.

"Well tell me what the area around you looks like…" Armin felt his breath going cold. Had their inner fears been realized? Had Eren been kidnapped? Was he being abused or drugged? Could he have been held for ransom? What was he and Mikasa to do if that was the case? They didn't have the money to pay heavily, no matter what they did.

"O-Okay, Eren, just stay right there and I'm going to come get you." Mikasa hung up the phone before she could get a reply.

"Let me get my shoes on." Armin said and made a mad dash for his shoes, which had been carelessly tossed into a corner with Mikasa's.

"Don't bother," Mikasa said as she stood up. Armin watched with anxious, blue eyes as Mikasa walked to the front door and opened it. There stood Eren, leaning against the door frame with his phone still to his ear.

"Good bye, Mikasa," He mumbled and dropped his phone to the ground. He looked up to Mikasa, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Oh, hi Mikasa!" He hollered in an absurd and overzealous voice. Armin flinched just by how stupid he sounded.

He was drunk. Utterly, overly, and un-doubtfully drunk.

Eren fell through the door, landing in his sister's waiting arms. He flopped against her chest, grunting heavily when his forehead smacked into her collar bone. Armin could hear the thud and wondered if Mikasa didn't feel any pain or didn't notice it, because she was too distracted to care.

"E-Eren," Mikasa started.

"Whoa! The floor came out from under me!" Eren shouted louder than he needed to.

"Eren don't. You'll piss off our neighbors." Mikasa warned. Eren's snickered at her.

"You said piss…" He muttered and dropped his head. Eren's head was hidden in Mikasa's neck by the time he started to gurgle, a sure sign that he was about ready to vomit whatever was in his system.

"Vomit on me and it'll be the last thing you do." Mikasa grumbled as she pulled Eren to the couch. Armin followed close behind. Mikasa dropped her brother down onto the couch rather roughly, as if a punishment for him getting drunk in the first place. His only reaction was a holler and to fall on his side.

"Whoa," He cooed. Mikasa rolled her eyes and looked to Armin.

"I said _serious_ trouble." Armin murmured.

"You're serious trouble!" Eren roared and tried sitting up, only to fall on his other side and have his head whack into the armrest. Armin ground his teeth together, fearing that Eren was so drunk that he'd say something they'd both regret being let out to Mikasa.

"Eren, don't say crap like that." Mikasa helped her brother to sit up as she scolded him.

"I don't care," Eren grumbled. "And neither does h-he." He stuttered on a hiccup.

"Eren," Armin uttered. Eren hiccupped again before continuing.

"Didn't I tell you that I didn't want to be in your life?" Eren slurred. The words had his gut lunge in pain.

"Eren Jaeger," Mikasa reproached. "If I hear you say that again then I'm locking you in your room." Mikasa had to hold back wagging her finger like a mother at him. She was angry though. No, she was irate. She didn't know why he was talking like this, but she didn't care. She would not allow him to speak like that, even if he was drunk and even if he couldn't control himself.

"Eren," Armin clenched his fists by his side, his body beginning to shake with anger. "I never said I wanted you out of my life." Armin didn't want to talk about what happened between them while Mikasa was still in the room, but it was like verbal diarrhea. It was coming out without his consent and making his whole body hurt with trying to hold it back, but did he really want to hold back? He wanted to scream, wanted to yell, and wanted to vent off all of the anger and pain he was feeling. He was tired of holding back. So, so tired…

"You made it-it obvious!" The drunken boy grunted.

"You overreacted!"

"_Enough!_" Mikasa yelled over the two. "This is neither the time nor the place to bring things like this up!" Armin was startled by how she had suddenly raised her voice. She had rarely raised her voice, as a matter of fact, he had never heard her do it before.

Eren pressed his hands to his ears, her voice too loud for his sensitive ears to handle. He whined, but Mikasa clicked her tongue at him.

"I don't want to hear any more about this, are we clear?" She asked curtly. Eren huffed with irritation.

"I don't want him here…" Eren waved his hand, as if trying to push Armin away, but he was seeing more than one Armin at the time being.

"I'm not going anywhere, Eren." Armin said, standing his ground. Eren glowered at him, his eyes threatening and boring holes into his head.

"Armin is staying and that's the end of it." Mikasa grabbed Eren's arm and pulled so he could stand up. "Now get up. I want you in bed and resting." Eren listened and stood up, but not without some issues trying to stand or tipping from side to side as he walked.

Mikasa helped him fall on his bed in his room, causing Eren to grunt and a pre-vomit burp to rise out of his throat. Mikasa nearly missed it, but she was able to get the trashcan by his bed in time for Eren to vomit over the side. Armin had to leave the room, for he was one with a terribly weak stomach. Mikasa soon joined him; she wasn't weak in the stomach like he was, but there was something she needed to ask.

"Armin," Mikasa's voice was quiet, but it still held that tide of anger.

"Yes?" Armin was leaning over the bathroom sink, cold water running along his hands to keep his body settled.

"Is there something that happened between you two?" Mikasa asked.

"What makes you ask that?" Armin asked. Mikasa gave him a good, hard glare for such a stupid question.

"Armin, I'm not kidding." Mikasa hissed.

"Neither am I." Armin splashed some water onto his face.

"Don't lie to me," Mikasa turned the water off, forcing Armin to keep his attention on her. Armin sighed as he wiped his face off with a dry towel. "If it's something private, alright, I won't pry, but I need to know if you two are at least arguing. At least I won't be left out of the dark." Armin looked up into the mirror, Mikasa's image within the mirror. She looked serious and angry, but he knew that all it was she was feeling was worry. She cared; he couldn't be angry at her for that.

"We got into an argument when he came over yesterday… We said some stuff and he said he was going to stay out of my life… That's all though." Armin explained. There was a long pause from Mikasa, as if she was thinking it through.

"… Okay then," Mikasa mumbled.

"Okay…?" Armin asked.

"Yeah… You're entitled to fights, but you better make sure it's taken care of. If not, I will get the whole story straight and I will fix it myself." Mikasa threatened. Armin felt shivers go down his back.

He was one hundred percent positive that she wasn't kidding.

* * *

Eren's green and still bloodshot eyes opened to the fuzzy world around him. He looked over to his bedside table to the neon numbers on his alarm clock. Eight fifty-three they read. His first inner questions why everything was so fuzzy. When blinking a few times to clear that, his second question was what the hell happened? He remembered arguing with Mikasa about their jobs and he remembered arguing with Armin, (although that part seemed pretty fuzzy too) but afterwards, everything was a blank. Did he go somewhere? Did he do something?

Eren tried sitting up so he could getting a drink of water, noticing his throat was dry and he was parched, but upon moving, his stomach turned in violent ways and all of yesterday's "winnings" were chucked right back up into the waste basket beside his bed.

'_Oh…'_ He thought as he collected himself. _'So that's what happened.' _He forced himself to sit up despite the heavy nausea he felt. There wasn't much in his system to begin with, so he could assume that whatever was left would become simple dry heaves.

He noticed, now that he wasn't vomiting his soul up, that he was in his room. When and how did he get here? Had he really gotten so wasted that he couldn't even remember how he got home? Maybe he had called Mikasa for a ride? Maybe he got a cab?

It was all such a blur that he couldn't think straight. All he wanted was some water and maybe some crackers to settle his stomach. He also wanted something for this headache that was beating his brain in like a drum.

"Fucking hell…" He cursed as he pushed himself up and out of his bed. The world around him began to spin, but he staggered against the wall of him room and any other jaunting object to hold himself up. He stumbled out of his room, noticing the temperature in the hallway was colder than it was in his room. When walking into the living room, he noticed the small, electric fireplace was on and warming up the apartment. He couldn't have been anymore happy at that moment than any other moment in his life.

Eren dropped down by the fake fire and held out his trembling hands, attempting to warm them up. His body shivered with the contrast of temperatures, but he didn't pull away. It did make him feel better.

"Do you want a blanket?" Eren turned his head to look over his shoulder. Armin was standing behind him, a full trash bag in one hand and a blank stare donning his eyes. Eren turned the rest of his body to face him, confusion obvious on his own face as he simply stared at Armin. What was Armin doing here anyway? Hadn't Eren told him that he didn't want to be a part of his life? Sure, he was happy to see his friend (could he think of Armin as a friend anymore?), but he was still confused.

Normally, when you tell someone you don't want to be in their lives anymore, they listen. They stay as far away from you as physically possible and you never hear from them again or until one or the other breaks. Had that happened at some point and Eren didn't remember it? By the blank stare Armin was giving him, he assumed that wasn't the case.

"Well…?" Armin asked.

"Well what?" Oh god, did he sound like hell…

"Do you want a blanket?" Armin repeated his previous question. There was a quiet and tense moment between them before Eren finally nodded his head. Armin put the trash down against the wall and grabbed a blanket off of the couch. He handed it to Eren, not uttering a word and not giving him a second glance as he went to pick up the garbage.

"W-What are you doing here?" Eren asked with his raw and scratchy voice. He really didn't sound good.

"How much do you remember?" Armin asked in a quiet and bored tone.

"Not much," His friend answered truthfully.

"Well, you went missing for a good twenty-four hours and I came over here to help Mikasa look for you. You came back late yesterday and you've been out ever since." Armin walked away from Eren's spot to wash his hands in the sink. He turned the water on and ran his hands under the water for a moment, letting the warm water dull out the cold seeping into his bones.

"How did I get home?" Eren draped the blanket over his shoulders, but it was nothing compared to the heater in front of him.

"Don't know. You showed up at the front door." Armin's eyes watched the water slip through the faucet, only taking interest in it because it kept his eyes off of Eren. Eren stayed quiet for a few minutes, watching the fake flames go across the screen. He had noticed Armin go silent, leaving another awkward silence to go by.

What was he supposed to say? What _could_ he say? There was nothing he could say at this point that would make up for anything, obviously, but he couldn't say anything that would break the ice into a normal conversation either.

Eren sighed under his breath, cuddling into the blanket for warmth he wasn't getting. He knew that, even with the fire, it wasn't enough. The only thing that had given him true warmth from head to toe was Armin, but he couldn't ask Armin for that now. He probably couldn't do it ever again. He heard the rustling of Armin drying his hands on a kitchen rag and shivered. What he wouldn't give to be by Armin and be warm.

"Uh…" He uttered. Armin turned around to face him, noticing that Eren was slightly turned in his direction, but his face was still directed to the heater. "So… W-What are you still doing here?" Eren asked cautiously. He dared to peak up from the flames to look at Armin, and his friend did not look happy.

"Alright, I get it. I'll go ahead and get out." Armin said, the pain making his voice waver as he walked away from the sink to grab his shoes.

"No, no! That's not what I meant!" Eren jumped up from his spot on the floor, only to suddenly stagger in place from dizziness. He nearly fell against the fireplace, but Armin was quick to grab Eren's arm and help him stay up. The contact was brief and cut when Eren could stand on his own without the aid of Armin.

"What the hell do you mean then?" Armin demanded.

"I-I just meant… Where's Mikasa?" Eren asked, improvising so he wouldn't upset Armin, or upset him _more_. Armin's eyes softened before he huffed and kicked a nearby chair. The screech of the chair against the wood floor was incredibly loud to Eren's ears, causing him to grip the shells of his ears and block out as much sound as he could.

"She went to the store to get you some medicine for your headache." Armin curtly answered. Eren uncovered his ears when the ringing in them stopped and when he realized that Armin wasn't going to torture him like that again. "She left about ten minutes ago."

"Wonderful," Eren attempted to smile, but the look on Armin's face made it fade. He still looked like he was about ready to beat Eren until he was black and blue. Eren could see a lot of reasons as to why Armin would be so angry, but at the same time, he didn't understand why Armin was upset with him. He did and didn't understand. What was he supposed to do?

"She'll be back soon and then I'll leave." Armin pushed past Eren to go back to his previous task. In all honesty, his hands couldn't have been cleaner than they were at this moment. He just needed something to do to keep his mind distracted.

"You don't have to do that." Eren said hesitantly. Armin physically stopped in place, his hands clenching by his sides as he let out a shaky sigh.

"I thought you said you were going to stay out of my life, Eren. How can you do that if I stay here?" Armin looked over his shoulder to ask. Eren swallowed down a lump of guilt in his throat. He could hear the emotion practically dripping off of his words.

"Armin… I… I'm sorry. I was upset and angry and I took it out on you." Armin turned more to face Eren, his eyes softening at his apology. "I didn't mean to say what I said, I was just angry at myself and I was confused about Annie and y-"

"_Annie?_" Uh oh… "What does Annie have to do with any of this?" Armin narrowed his eyes, the anger back and making him shake.

"I-I didn't mean it like-" Eren tried, but Armin stopped him in the middle of his sentence.

"No, go ahead and say it." He demanded. "Say what you meant."

"I-I meant that with you and Annie dating-" The glare he received from Armin stopped him midsentence. He didn't need Armin to do it for him.

"Dating? Eren, I told you, it was one stupid date! A date doesn't mean a damn thing!" Armin argued, his voice rising above a dull roar.

"It means a lot of things, Armin!" Despite how dizzy he felt and how tired he was, Eren was more than livid with anger.

"It does not! She's just my friend!" Armin barked.

"Oh really? Is she as much of a friend as I am for you?" Eren dared to ask.

That broke the last straw.

Armin didn't know what came over him, but he couldn't stop his hand from lashing out and slapping Eren across the face. It did the trick though. Eren covered his red and stinging cheek with his hand while looking up at Armin with wide, green eyes. He was utterly speechless, left only to pant from the overexertion of yelling.

"How could you say such a thing?" Armin asked. Eren could see the tears brimming at the edges of Armin's eyes, making his heart ache. "How could you imply that when you don't even know the whole story? You have no idea what even made her ask!" Armin pushed Eren by the shoulders, effectively knocking him to his butt.

Eren was still so shocked, however, that the words he wanted to express were caught in his throat. His mind was reeling, his cheek was still stinging from the slap, and now he was on his ass and looking up with shock at his friend. He didn't know what Armin meant, though. What he referring to?

"Well…?" Armin provoked. Eren pushed himself up onto his feet, trying to keep himself steady as he stood.

"What, so you're saying that there was some _reason_ for it?" Eren asked bitterly.

"Of course there was!" A tear slipped down Armin's cheek and he wiped it away.

"What then?" Eren asked.

"She lost a bet!" Armin blurted out. Armin could see the emotions go through Eren's face: anger to confusion, sadness to… More confusion. It just became confusion.

"A-A bet…?" Eren asked.

"Ymir and Annie had a bet and she lost. The consequence was asking me on a date." Armin's shoulders slumped as the anger dissipated in the heat of the moment. His hands relaxed from the fisted grip they were in, releasing the skin under his nails that had been trapped under them.

"You… Why did you say yes?" Eren asked, shock still written on his face.

"I was being polite…" Armin shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently that's frowned upon these days…" He huffed with irritation.

"So… When you guys went to the movies…"

"We just went to the movies. Nothing else happened." Armin said. Eren looked away from his friend and looked at his feet instead.

He had been wrong.

"I know how Bertholdt feels about Annie. Why would I ever date someone my friend loved? That's wrong in more ways than one," Armin stated boldly.

"Y-You still went on a date with her," Eren mumbled begrudgingly.

"It wasn't even a date, Eren! It was more like two friends going out and having a good time! Isn't that what we do on occasion, or were those considered dates?" Armin asked, slightly teasing his friend. Eren huffed and pushed at Armin's shoulder with irritation.

"You still did it…" He grumbled.

"God, Eren. You make it sound like I slept with her." The blond said and felt his stomach give off a strange lurch. He really didn't like the idea of sleeping with Annie, or let alone anyone other than Eren. "I told you, Annie is just a friend. I don't care about her as anything more than that."

"That doesn't stop you from caring about someone else…" Eren muttered. He looked over to Armin from the corner of his eyes to see Armin's own go wide from shock. He hadn't realized what he had done until it came out; he actually said it out loud.

"What? Is that what this is about?" Armin asked.

"Maybe," Eren staggered slightly as he walked to his couch to sit. He was getting winded just from having to stand for so long.

"Eren, I thought I told you that my love life is my own." Armin said while motioning to himself.

"And I said I didn't care. I don't care what happens for you." Eren growled. Armin huffed, surprised and dumfounded that Eren possessed such… Stupidity.

"Then why do you keep bringing it up?" Armin asked.

"I didn't bring it up," Eren turned his head away and said.

"You just did!" Bewildered. If Armin needed a word to describe how he felt, bewildered would be the perfect word. Eren scoffed and waved a hand at him. "You did!" Armin stomped his foot in a childish manner.

"Whatever…" Eren groaned.

"Eren!" Armin exclaimed, his hands clenching by his sides again and his body heating up with anger. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you still drunk?" He accused.

"Nothing is wrong, nothing at all." Eren grumbled.

"You sure don't make it seem that way."

"What do you want me to say, Armin?" Eren pushed himself up, despite the pre-vomit burp that surfaced, and stood in front of Armin.

"Tell me what's wrong." Armin demanded. "Please, I-I want to know." He begged.

"I told you that there is nothing wrong!" Eren barked, making Armin flinch away from the suddenness and tone. He dared to lift his hand, hoping to press it to Eren's still red cheek. Eren, however, didn't see it for how it was. He saw a hand raising a face, getting closer to his cheek. He smacked it away, more prepared for a hit to the face than a gentle touch.

Armin jumped in place, another tear slipping down his cheek. He didn't bother to wipe it away, because he was too mortified to do it.

"Don't," Eren murmured. "Get someone else to do that for you."

"Who else, Eren…?" Armin asked. His voice shook and he felt the lump in his throat forming around his words, making it harder to breathe let alone talk. That lump was of all the pain and sadness, laced with the truth that was so eager to slip away.

"I don't know and I don't care. Anyone else; someone else who is worth your time." Eren turned so he could leave. To where, he didn't know, but a hand grabbed at his wrist and stopped him in his tracks.

"Who else, Eren…? I don't have anyone else in my life." Eren closed his eyes, hoping that it would block some of the pain he was hearing in Armin's wavering voice. It didn't.

"I told you, I don't care-" Eren yanked at his arm for freedom, but Armin yanked back just as hard.

"I do!" He exclaimed. "I don't want to be alone!"

"Who said you'd be alone, huh? You can find someone for you, someone worth the effort!" Eren finally had the endurance to yank his arm free.

"I don't want someone else!" Armin cried, more tears slipping down his cheeks. Eren couldn't take the sight of Armin crying, and knowing it was him that caused it was even more painful. He turned to leave, walking down the hall so he could get to his room and hide. Armin bit at the back of his hand.

He couldn't hide it.

"Why? Why don't you want someone else?" Eren asked as he stood at his door.

It was too late.

"Because the only person I've wanted in my life is _you!_"

It needed to be said.

Eren's eyes fell onto the figure still standing in his living room, his shoulders trembling as he tried to hold back the sobs that threatened to beat against him like waves on the ocean floor. He watched as Armin attempted to collect himself by wiping the tears spilling relentlessly from his eyes and sniffling, but it didn't work. It only left him with red eyes and a nose that were obvious signs of his pain. He stared up at Eren with those red eyes of his and shrugged his shoulders at his surprised friend.

"I love you, Eren." He said and took a deep breath. Eren slowly stepped out of the hallway, using the wall as his guide as he walked back into the living room where his friend stood. He could hear the rasp in Armin's voice as he tried to breathe, but he was too choked up to do so.

"… You what?" He asked.

"I love you," Armin said. "And I've loved you since we were kids…" He admitted shamefully. Eren wanted to reach out and hold the hand wiping his tears away, but he couldn't seem to move. Maybe he really was still drunk. Could he be hallucinating now?

"W…. Why didn't… You say something sooner?" Eren managed to get out.

"When could I have said it, Eren?" Armin asked, his voice rising slightly. "When you were nine and your mother passed away? Or how about when your father disappeared and you and Mikasa were put into the foster system?" He asked. Eren could hear the bitter tone he was using as he brought up those painful memories. "What about when the only family I had was taken away from me because someone wanted the money in my grandfather's pocket?"

"Armin…"

"What about all of those times we ran away from those families just to see each other again after they had separated us?" Armin asked. "Or was I supposed to tell you when we were fifteen and we had no idea what the hell we were doing?" Eren watched with hopeless eyes as Armin continued to pant from the anger-induced yelling.

"Armin-" He tried again, but Armin wouldn't let him get to it.

"What about when we were eighteen and scrapping our way to get into college?" Armin let his head fall so he could hide his face, but it didn't do much. The tears were falling down his cheeks without any signs of stopping. "What about now?" His voice was muffled while his head hung low, but Eren still heard him.

"What about now?" Eren quietly asked.

"We are just _finally_ getting our lives together. We have homes and friends and we're in school… Why would I mess with how things are now?" Eren pulled gently at Armin's shoulders, bringing him close so Armin's head could rest on his shoulder. Armin hid his face into the space between his neck and shoulder and sobbed, letting out all the pain he had held in for so many years.

Had he known when Eren had first saved him from a group of neighborhood bullies that he'd be suffering this much pain in the future, he would have walked away when Eren held out his hand for him.

"Don't cry, Armin…" Eren tried to sooth his friend by running a hand down his back while the other rubbed the back of his head.

"I wanted to tell you… I tried so many times, but then I'd think… What if you hated me for it?" Armin explained. "What if you pushed me away or called me names… I-I couldn't bare it if I lost you or Mikasa… You're all the family I have left."

Eren sighed as he pressed his cheek against Armin's head.

"I kept telling myself that you wouldn't do those things, but I…I couldn't help it." Armin quietly cried against Eren's shoulder in defeat. He hadn't heard a response from Eren yet, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "I tried to get over them, Eren, I really did, but I couldn't."

"Armin," Eren sighed again. Armin shut his eyes tightly and gripped at the fabric of Eren's shirt so tightly that it hurt his own hands. Was he about to get rejected? Would Eren yell at him for his real feelings or return the formality? Most importantly, what would happen after all of this was over? Would Eren leave him or stay by his side? Did he even really want to know?

"P-Please… Please don't hate me, Eren…" Armin begged. Eren pulled Armin back by his shoulders so he could see those pleading, blue eyes of Armin's. Armin couldn't look though. He couldn't bear to see the look of disgust or hatred on his face, he couldn't.

Armin pushed out of his friend's welcoming embrace to escape. He turned on his heels fast and made a mad dash for the front door, but before he could even grab the doorknob, Eren had grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back.

"Armin, stop! Where are you going?" Eren asked with Armin's back against his chest.

"Anywhere but here!" Armin tried prying himself free from Eren's arms, but Eren's vice grip wouldn't loosen.

"No please, don't go." Eren pleaded. Armin stopped squirming, but he continued to sob with his head low. Eren sounded so broken and defeated, probably a lot like he sounded now. At least Eren had the decency not to cry.

"Please let me go…" Armin quietly begged.

"I can't do that…" Eren mumbled, his lips pressing unconsciously against Armin's shoulder. Armin barely noticed the touch, and even though he noticed it, he passed it off as a simple, everyday touch.

"Why?" The blonde's voice cracked, his breath cold and heavy from the yelling.

"… Because I don't want to lose you either." Eren answered. Armin dared to lift his head to stare to the side, exposing his red face with reluctance. He felt Eren's arms around him tighten, but it didn't stop him from trying to turn in Eren's arms.

"Eren-" He started, but he was caught off guard by Eren's lips against his cheek. It hadn't been Eren's intention to miss, his first goal being Armin's lips, but he hadn't expected the boy to move so suddenly. "W-What-"

"I was afraid of the same things," Eren breathed against his ear. Armin shivered in response, but the words were more impacting than he realized as he fully turned around in Eren's arms. Eren had his own emotions racking through his body, his eyes slightly red and his cheeks and nose pink in an attempt to keep himself calm. Armin could see it, but it was almost like he didn't believe it. "I have Mikasa, so I guess I wouldn't be alone, and then I wouldn't understand where you stood at the matter, but even so, I felt like if something happened and I lost you…" His voice trailed off. His eyes closed for a moment, trying to stop the tears burning the backs of his eyes and collect himself.

"I don't want to lose you, not to anyone else or even myself…" He opened his eyes as he spoke, his green eyes more emotionally striking than Armin had ever seen them before, and he had seen poor Eren suffer through more than anyone should have to.

"W-What are you saying, Eren?" Armin asked in a mumble. He wasn't sure if this was a question he wanted an answer to, even though he felt like he could die rather happy right about now.

Eren chuckled quietly, his hands reaching up and cupping Armin's face into his palms as he pulled him in for a kiss. Armin responded with the smallest of squeaks he was sure he had never made in his life, his hands wrapping tightly around Eren's back and gripping his shirt with so much pressure that it turned his knuckles white. There was no fury or desire, no pleasure or desperation in the kiss. It was tender, gentle, loving, and comforting, something Armin was sure Eren had never tried to communicate. Even their first kiss wasn't like this, albeit being completely uncomfortable and awkward with their lack of skills in the art of kissing.

Armin didn't dare make a move, fearing he'd ruin the precious moment he was sharing with his friend (And it felt good to think of him that way again). It was only after a few seconds that Eren pulled away, but only by an inch or two so their faces could be near and so he could rest his forehead to Armin's without the need to strain his neck.

"I love you, Armin…" He felt his heart beat skip, or maybe it even stopped. He must have been dreaming, delusional, maybe even he was the drunken one, but the look on Eren's face proved to him that he heard the words with his own two ears. He wasn't aware that the look on his face was so funny, because Eren chuckled again. "What's with that face? Didn't you just say the same thing to me a few moments back?" He asked casually.

"Eren…" Armin closed his eyes as he felt fresh tears spring into his eyes. They slipped from his eyes without consent and fell onto Eren's hands which were still cupping his now red cheeks.

"What are you crying for?" Eren asked. Armin weakly smiled as he rubbed his hand against his face, trying to stop the tears.

"I-I don't know really," He said and laughed at how stupid he felt for crying when in reality he was so happy. He must have been dreaming, because it was too perfect to be true.

"Fifteen years, and even now, you're still such a cry baby." Eren wiped his thumb across Armin's eyelids, ridding them of tears.

"It's not like I purposely try to cry." Armin said with a pout. Eren smiled as he leaned forward to, once again, press their lips together. This kiss had a little more behind it; that possession Armin felt once before, along with small amounts of passion. Armin wasn't sure if that was something he should have been afraid of or not.

Eren's hands moved to the back of his head, pressing delicately to keep the kiss together while his fingers tangled in his hair. Armin sighed against him, pressing his chest against Eren's in an attempt to get closer. The idea worked, because he could even feel Eren's rapid heartbeat, or maybe it was his own. He wasn't sure anymore.

His lips parted on a nearly silent gasp, giving Eren an opportunity to let his tongue invade. Armin shivered, goose bumps rising on his skin at the sensation of it.

"E-Eren," He sighed once their lips parted. He pushed against Eren's chest, hoping to stop him, but all that really did was make Eren advance to his neck to suck. "M-Mikasa will be home soon…" He reminded begrudgingly.

"I don't care," Eren murmured against his skin. He sucked rather hard on the skin covering his collar bone, hard enough to leave a red mark. It wasn't enough for him though. He wanted to make sure he could leave the worst bruise on Armin that he could possibly make. He wanted the world to know that Armin was his and his alone.

"D-Don't, Eren. People will see," Armin pushed against his chest again, hoping to stop his advances, but it didn't work.

"Good." When the mark was a big, red blotch, Eren considered it satisfactory and pulled at the edge of Armin's shirt. This elicited a rather adorable whine from Armin.

"You're s-so embarrassing." Armin stuttered. "Why now?" He huffed with irritation.

"Why not?" Eren asked while his hands ran over the skin of his back from under his shirt. He could feel the skin beneath his fingers tremble.

"Because you're still hung over from last night!" Armin stated daringly. "Do you really- Hmph!" He stopped when Eren's mouth covered his in a passionate kiss. He returned it with as much vigor as he could muster up, but it didn't seem to work to his advantage. "D-Do you really want to have sex when you're messed up like this?" Armin asked once Eren's lips traveled to his ear to nibble on his earlobe.

"No," Eren mumbled. Armin stilled within his grasp, watching as Eren drew back to look into his eyes. "I want to make love to you." He said, his cheeks red from having to utter the words. Armin flushed brightly from ear to ear, his mouth nearly falling open in shock.

How could he possibly say no to that?

He wasn't sure if he could get any redder. He grabbed at Eren's hand that had been running along his backside and pulled him away to his room. He kept his head low the whole time, until Eren had shut the door behind him. He grabbed at the ends of his shirt, pulled it over his head, and then tossed it to the floor without hesitating for even a moment. Eren stared, eyes wide and bright when seeing _his_ Armin stripe for him.

"What are you waiting for? You said you wanted to make love to me." Armin said, grabbing at Eren's hand and bringing it to Eren's chest. Eren couldn't help but smirking as he pulled Armin against his flushed chest and crushed their lips together. He nipped at his lips and pulled on his hair, though not so much that it would hurt. It was more of a way to show his aggressive passion, raw and loving. It was a side of Eren that Armin loved. Then again, he loved everything about Eren.

He loved that spark in Eren's eyes when he talked about things with passion. He loved how hard of a worker of Eren was and how he strived for the stars, even when everyone around him said that it was impossible. If it were, Eren would find some way to do it, and do it he would.

He loved the way Eren would stare at him with such a longing and needy gaze. He loved the way Eren's hands felt whenever they so much as brushed against his body. He loved when he tugged his hair so his head would tilt back and then his lips would be against his neck. He loved those lips when they were all over his body, kissing him and making his skin crawl with desire. He especially loved it when Eren would use that strength he had (The strength people didn't realize he had because he wasn't overly muscular) and lifted him off of the ground, like what he was doing now.

Armin wrapped his legs around Eren's hips, feeling his own erection straining against his jeans. He moaned against Eren's lips, looking for friction that his body begged for. Eren groaned against his lips.

"God…" Eren mumbled and pressed multiple kisses against Armin's neck.

"It's Armin, b-but I can settle for that." Armin said with a smile. Eren smirked and carried Armin to his bed. He dropped him down rather roughly, earning him a heavy grunt and a disheveled glare, but it wasn't like Armin would complain. Eren joined him on the bed, hovering over his body with a greedy look in his eyes.

"Damn it, Armin," He huffed while his hand trailed along his friend's chest, rubbing over a nipple. Armin squirmed under him in response, but he didn't dare break his stare with Eren. "Do you know what you do to me when you look like this?" Eren asked, a chuckle leaving his kiss-swollen and parted lips.

"I can guess…" Armin breathed while lifting his leg so his knee could graze against the obvious bulge in Eren's pants. Eren quietly gasped, his head falling low and his eyes widening in surprise.

"N-Now you're just teasing me." Eren panted and hooked his fingers under the waistband of Armin's jeans. Armin willingly lifted his hips, allowing his jeans to slide down his pale legs and fall off to the floor. Eren ran his hands up Armin's legs, running his nails along his smooth skin. His hands slipped under the rims under his undergarments, purposely teasing the flesh of his butt and thighs. Armin reacted with more light squirming and small, soft pants.

Eren bent down and licked over his covered erection, making Armin gasp in outright pleasure. His hand found its way into Eren's hair, giving a light tug on it as Eren pressed kisses against his length.

"Look whose t-talking…" Armin whimpered as Eren's grabby hands found his sensitive flesh under his underwear. He helped shuck the garment off, so he could get to his prize, and once Armin was in front of him and bare, Eren let out a breathy sigh. "You make it seem like you're going to eat me." The blond mumbled.

"I wouldn't go that far." Eren leaned over Armin so they could kiss. While their tongues battled it out for dominance (A battle Armin attempted to win, for once), Eren's hand slowly stroked Armin's hardened member. This caused him to whine against his lips, his body convulsing and his back arching into Eren's in favor of more friction.

"Mph… Hng…" Armin scraped at the back of Eren's shoulders, looking for a good grip on him. When doing that only caused a low hiss of pain to escape Eren's throat, he grabbed at his arms and held onto him. "H-Hurry up, Eren." He panted when their lips broke.

Eren smirked while his fondling became slower, more precise. He thumbed the slit of the head and then ghosted down over the skin, making Armin moan with pleasure, or was it desperation? He didn't know, but he knew he liked it.

"Maybe I don't want to." Eren whispered in his ear. "Isn't making love supposed to be slow and passionate?" He asked and ran his tongue along the shell of his ear.

"Ahaa…" Armin tossed his head back into the mattress. Eren looked at the marred skin of his neck, marred by him, and smiled. Eren brought two fingers from his free hand up and to his lips to lick at his fingers while he bent down to offer more pleasure to Armin. His now wet fingers rubbed over his entrance while his mouth didn't bother to hesitate when covering his erection.

Armin continued to writhe under him, his hips rolling with Eren's bobbing head and causing a delicious pleasure to course through his veins. Eren's finger pushed inside him quickly, the heat engulfing him and making him shiver.

Armin had always given him an insane amount of pleasure just from the sounds he made when their previously had sex, but this was different. They were proving just how much they loved it each, and Eren was going to make sure Armin got the picture crystal clear.

"Eren, ahah…" Eren thrust a second finger in, curling his fingers and instantly finding that sweet spot. Armin's toes curled, his back arched, his mouth opened, but no sound came out. Eren smirked against him as he continuously rubbed that spot. It was never one hard to find, knowing Armin from the inside and out like the back of his hand, but that didn't mean teasing him wasn't fun. He could feel the muscles inside Armin twitching, and, not wanting him to release too soon, he pulled his fingers out of him and sat back, leaving Armin to writhe under him.

He really was beautiful. Eren had always thought so. People constantly argued, when they were younger, that Armin looked like a girl. He didn't sound my like one and to Eren who was as much of a boy as he was, but then again, he could see the many things that made him look rather girly. His short, blond hair that went down to his shoulders, his big, blue eyes that always stared at the world with a profound curiosity, his soft skin that covered his small physique, his nimble fingers that held onto his hands gently; okay, so there were more reasons to think he was a girl than he imagined, but there was one thing that set him apart from being a girl, and that was the evidence in between his legs.

"S-Stop staring like that," Armin whined, trying to close his legs. Eren's body between them stopped him from doing so. "You're so embarrassing…"

"I can't help it." Eren ran his fingers down Armin's body, feeling his skin tremble beneath his fingers. He could feel Armin's eyes on him, staring at him with as much love as he could. Eren smiled, his cheeks tinting pink as he leaned forward and kissed him. Armin's body pressed against his own still clothed one, and being reminded of that, Armin tugged at the waistband of his pants.

"Take them off," Armin mumbled against his lips. Eren sat back long enough to do so, throwing them away to the floor like the rest of Armin's clothes to be forgotten about. Armin held his arms out for him and Eren joined him, lying back against his chest and initiating a sweet kiss while he lined himself up with Armin's entrance. He pushed Armin's legs back against his chest, breaking the kiss so he could look into Armin's eyes.

"Ready…?" He asked, a little breathless.

"That's a stupid question." Armin retorted and pulled Eren right back into a kiss. Eren smiled against his lips before pushing himself inside of Armin, feeling the warmth and heat engulf him wonderfully. There was something incredible about doing it this time compared to all of the other times he ever had sex with Armin. All the thoughts that swarmed his head, thoughts of _his _Armin, of _his_ Armin begging for him, moaning for him and saying only his name; that they weren't having regular and boring sex, but making love to each other; all of it was euphoric.

He thought that this is what a "first time" was supposed to really be like. Being with the one you love, embracing them and kissing them with as much love as the ocean that covered the planet, taking them while you shared a kiss with them, and then looking into each other's eyes as if the world were falling apart around each other. This was how it should have been done when they did it at fifteen, but they were young and stupid, knowing nothing better and having no one else in the world to be with.

This was different. They were adults, they were finally with the ones they loved, they were experienced, they knew what they were doing, and Eren was as sure as hell not going to mess it up.

"Are you okay?" He asked against Armin's lips. Armin nodded his head, a small hum, or maybe a moan, left him as Eren's hands ran over his body from his legs to his chest and wrapped around him, trapping him in an embrace. If that didn't send shivers up and down Armin's spine, then he didn't know what would.

"Eren…" Armin whimpered as Eren moved just a little, causing his muscles to tighten around him. "M-Move already," He begged.

"You sure?" Eren asked, his resistance slipping away.

"Yes, yes, just hurry!" Armin rolled his hips back, hoping to make Eren get things started. Get started they did. Eren smiled slightly as he pulled back and pushed back in slowly, eliciting a rather enticing moan from Armin. He did this a few times, working in a slow movement to simply loosen him up (and secretly tease him). When he figured that Armin was okay for more, he quickened his pace.

Armin tossed his head back when Eren unintentionally brushed against his prostate. He tightened his grip on Eren, but as much as he loved it at times for Eren' to toy with him, now wasn't the time. Eren purposely ignored that one spot, at times coming close to it, but never truly hitting it. Armin whined in protest and Eren chuckled at his pleasure-induced misery.

"Eren- Hng!" Armin cried out as his back arched. Eren decided to indulge his friend, even if only for a minute. He quickly thrust into that one spot that Armin had been begging for. Armin cried out, his nerves going numb and his body convulsing with pleasure. His muscles clenched and Eren grunted, his grip around Armin tightening. He hadn't realized how close he was until Armin did that, but now that he knew, he was determined to make his friend finish before him.

"S-Shit, Armin. Don't clench up like that. You'll ruin it for both of us if I finish early." Eren panted. Armin barely registered his words. All he could do was emit a series of moans, groans, and pants while the pleasure coursed through his veins. He pulled at Eren's neck, yanking him in for a kiss and crying against his lips.

He really didn't care for much at this point. It had been his worry at first that Mikasa would come home and find them, but now he wasn't sure he would care even if she took pictures. He wanted this. He wanted this more than anything he had ever wanted. He could feel his own release building up, stronger than before, and he knew why it was.

It was because he finally had what he had wanted for so long. The only family he had in his life was his. His friend was his and his alone. He had been right when he had said that they were just starting to get their lives together, and he had a feeling (A distant one that he couldn't concentrate on for more than a millisecond) that things were only going to get better.

Their kiss broke and Armin cupped Eren's cheeks within his hands.

"More," He begged breathlessly. "P-Please," Eren groaned within his throat while pulling one of Armin's legs over his shoulder. He didn't try to hold back anymore. He wanted to take it slow, but simply couldn't. He thrust himself mercilessly into the smaller boy without hesitating. He knew Armin wouldn't complain either. He would probably thrill over the new speed and depth, and he did.

To truly make Armin lose his mind, Eren grabbed at him between their bodies, stroking him at a slow pace while thumbing the slit in a circular motion. Armin tried his best to suppress his scream of pleasure, but he barely could as he released himself on his chest and in Eren's hand. His nails dug into the back of Eren's neck, unaware of it drawing some blood. Eren didn't notice either; all he noticed was the heat that engulfed him tighten to an almost painful extent, milking him of his orgasm.

"A-Armin…!" He groaned as he came, spilling himself inside of Armin. This time he did it on purpose. The hickey on Armin's neck would be gone within a week, but this way he had a mark on him that no one else but him would know about. Armin was his, and this was his way to prove it.

He collapsed against Armin's chest, his body tired and achy and already sore from the exertion he just went through. Armin was panting under him, his body sweating like his own and with his fluid painting his bare stomach. Eren didn't care if his shirt got stained from it; as a matter of fact, he didn't care about anything.

"Eren…" Armin whimpered his name over and over again while he came down from his high. He ran his fingers through Eren's hair, rubbing his scalp in a soothing manner that got Eren to look up at him. Their eyes connected, hazy and glazed over with a foggy layer of lust as they stare at each other. Eren smiled as he pushed himself up to kiss Armin. The kiss was lazy and weak, but the emotions Eren forced into such a small kiss were strikingly strong.

Eren's hands wrapped around Armin's back and pulled as he sat up, bringing his friend into his lap. With Eren still inside of him, the sensation and oversensitivity caused him to blush from ear to ear with a strangled groan caught in his throat.

"Eren," He said as their kiss broke.

"If you think we're finished, you've got another thing coming." Eren said with a smirk.

"Huh?" Armin let out. Eren sat back to pull the shirt he had been too busy to remove earlier over his head.

"You're in for a long night, Armin."

* * *

It didn't take long for Jean to see the two walk into the diner, and the first thing he noticed was the limp Armin had and the hickey he tried desperately to hide. He sneered at the two, and while Armin blushed and looked away from him, hoping to find something else to do, Eren simply smirked and wrapped his arms around Armin's waist.

"Where are you going?" He asked into his ear. Armin jumped, surprised by the sudden contact from his friend.

"You're so embarrassing…" He muttered, trying to hide his face behind his hair.

"I could be doing a lot worse, you know." Eren stated bravely.

"And there isn't a doubt in my mind that you won't try." Armin chuckled as he spoke.

"So, Armin," Armin once again jumped in place. He hadn't known that Jean had left the kitchen to come see the two, and now the man was standing behind them, his smug grin proving Armin's inner fears that he already knew. "What are you doing here today? Today is your day off, isn't it?" He asked while wiping his hands on his apron.

"W-We just came for lunch, that's all." Armin looked down at his feet, noticing Eren still holding onto his waist and not parting for even a second.

"Lunch, huh?" Jean asked. He tapped at Armin's shoulder, and when looking up to Jean, Jean pointed down a row of tables. "Look who else decided to have "lunch" too." He said, motioning to the couple at a table.

"No way," Eren gaped in surprised. Obviously he had seen what Armin hadn't first, but after focusing on it, he could see the couple. It was Annie sitting with Bertholdt, her head against his shoulder and a smile on both of their faces.

"About damn time, right, Armin?" Jean elbowed his shoulder, but it didn't take Armin being a rocket scientist to know that Jean was referring to him and Eren as well. As if her ears had been burning, Annie looked up from her food to the three staring at them. Armin waved at her, giving a wink and all-knowing smirk in her direction. She huffed in an attempt to pass it off, pressing her face into Bertholdt's chest with her cheeks flushing red. Despite her embarrassment, she smiled in his direction.

Armin felt Eren's grip around him tighten. He didn't pay much mind to it until he felt Eren release him. Eren took him by the shoulders and spun him around so Armin could face him.

"Eren, what a-" He couldn't continue his sentence, because Eren's lips covered his in a quick kiss. His eyes widened, his cheeks blushed a dark shade of red, and his knees became weak. He heard Jean gasp in surprise beside him and he couldn't have shaken more with fear than at that moment. What was he doing, and in a public place like Armin's job? In front of Jean? In front of Annie and Bertholdt and everyone else?

Armin pushed at Eren's chest, breaking the kiss and knocking him into the back of an empty booth. He looked rather startled by the action, being something Armin ever so rarely did (the pushing thing), but Armin's blush got him to smirk.

"Eren," Armin whined. "Cut it out."

"So did you get the picture?" Christa's voice said by them.

"Yep, nice and in detail." Reiner said, holding his cellphone up while looking at the picture of the two he had just taken.

"You guys!" Armin hollered. They seemed completely oblivious, looking at the picture and inspecting it. Ymir, who had been standing behind the two, pointed at the picture, mentioning something about seeing tongue, which was a complete and false lie. Armin covered his face with his hands, hiding his red face and wallowing in embarrassment. He heard Eren chuckle behind him, and he immediately turned around to smack his shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" Eren asked, still smiling. It hadn't hurt him, it only stung slightly.

"You're so embarrassing!" Armin whined.

"You've said that plenty of times before." Eren said. Armin peaked from behind his hands, his own, devilish smirk playing on his lips when a certain thought came to mind.

"So why did you kiss me, Eren?" He asked, his hand falling to his hips.

"Huh?" Eren's cheeks held a small tint of pink.

"That's a great question," Reiner mused.

"N-No reason, I just uh-"

"There had to be a reason." Armin stepped closer so he could be face to face with Eren. He may have been embarrassed, but he was going to make Eren pay for it. "Could it have been that you were _jealous_ of Annie?" He asked.

"What? N-No!" Eren's voice cracked, his cheeks getting redder.

"It'd make sense," Armin stated. "Was that why you were upset before? You were jealous of Annie?"

"I'm not jealous, Armin!" Eren clenched his fists at his side, trying to stand his ground, but he was utterly failing. He had never had to stand his ground against Armin, so this was totally new to him, new and completely throwing him for a loop.

And to his luck, Annie and Bertholdt had heard the whole thing.

"So are they finally together?" Bertholdt spoke up and asked.

"I guess so; I'm not so good with four play to be able to tell the difference." Reiner shrugged his shoulder and said.

"Four play?" Armin questioned.

"I guess you own me fifty." Bertholdt mumbled. "But you can just use that to pay for the movies for Annie and I tonight."

"Whoa wait! You had bets on when he'd get together?" Eren flushed darker and asked.

"Well you had bets with Armin on when we would get together." Bertholdt said, motioning towards Annie.

"You told him?" Armin asked.

"Yes. I didn't think it would matter if he knew." Annie mumbled quietly.

"Right… I guess that means I owe you a month's rent, right Eren?" Armin asked playfully.

"Ugh, you're all impossible!" Eren huffed with impatience while throwing up his hands. He didn't bother turning back to look at the other's as he exited the diner the way he came in, Armin quickly following behind him and calling out for him.

"Hey, Eren, wait!" He called out. He stepped outside into the nippy, autumn air, looking for his friend when said friend grabbed him from behind by his sweater and pulled him into the diner wall. Armin couldn't even collect the wind that got knocked out of him before Eren's lips were on his in a desperate kiss. He tried to wrap his arms around Eren's shoulders, but Eren pinned his hands against the wall and parted with great reluctance. His gaze was deafening and Armin couldn't even breathe straight at the sight of those striking, green eyes.

"You were right…" He mumbled near his lips.

"… A-About what?" It took a moment for him to respond, seeing as how the blood rushed to somewhere other than his brain.

"I was jealous…" Eren pitifully admitted, his eyes downcast with embarrassment. Somehow, the admission from him couldn't have made Armin any happier.

"Really…?" He knew he shouldn't have sounded so happy for that, but he couldn't help himself. His pulse was racing and his heart was beating so painfully in his chest, but it didn't hurt. It felt really good.

"Yeah…" Eren grumbled.

"B-But why? Why would you be jealous of Annie?" He asked.

"B-Because I…We've been doing this for so long, sometimes I forgot that what we were doing wasn't supposed to mean anything… I got jealous at the thought that you would ever give yourself to anyone else." Eren explained sheepishly, his head slowly falling to rest on Armin's shoulder.

"Oh, Eren…" Armin breathed, his hands pulling from Eren's weak grasp to rub his head. "Somehow that's really flattering." Armin said and laughed. Eren groaned against his neck. "There's no reason to be jealous anymore, Eren." He said.

Eren lifted his head, looking up at him with an almost pleading look. Armin smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Right," Eren murmured and kiss him back, getting at the corner of his lips. "Because you're mine." He fingered with the laces of Armin's sweater, pulling slightly to reveal that bruise Armin tried to cover.

"That's right," Armin said, rather proud of it too. "I'm yours and you're mine. That's never going to change, right?" He asked.

"Right," Eren agreed. Armin pushed himself off of the wall, making Eren move with him.

"Let's go inside. It's cold out here and I'm hungry." He said while zipping his sweater back up to cover the hickey. He wasn't sure why he was trying, considering that Jean already saw it and was more than likely blabbing about it to everyone at this very moment, but he wanted to have some dignity and pride left by the end of the day. He turned back to the door, but Eren's arms found their way around his shoulders, keeping him in place. "What's wrong, Eren?" He asked quietly.

"Armin…" Eren mumbled near his ear.

"Yeah…?" Armin turned his head to the side to see his friends face. Eren's stayed quiet for a moment, simply looking at Armin. Armin was going to speak up, but Eren did it first.

"Move in with me and Mikasa."

* * *

**A/N: I've figured I'm a sadist if I ended it like that. XD More reivews! And cookies!**


	4. Extra

**A/N: To answer the question, did Mikasa ever find out about them? Well now we know... She's known the whole time. XD (A moment at the end of chapter one, a fanfiction dedicated to Eremin week)**

**It's honestly realy sweet to see people not wanting this to end. You guys are so kind. ^^ Please enjoy this extra!**

* * *

**It's A One Time Thing ****(Modern AU) They're are the only ones who trust each other enough to go this far. They keep sayings it's a simple thing, which it means absolutely nothing, but, to be honest, that couldn't be any farther from the truth.**

* * *

The first to wake was Eren. His groggy, green eyes opened to see the ceiling of his living room and the tiny speckled patter the paint held. The light shining into the room from the open windows and thin, blue curtains made his eyes strain against it, wincing to keep them open yet keep the light out. He groaned quietly, but it was loud enough to stir the smaller male sleeping on him.

He looked down at his naked friend, watching as Armin's blue eyes slowly opened and focused on nothing in particular. The blond shifted on top of him, but only for a few moments before a hand reached up to rub his heavy and half-lidded eyes.

"Good morning, bed head." Eren said, making a snooty comment on how Armin's hair was tousled and was flowing in many different directions. Armin didn't respond at first; he simply took in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. He dropped his head back down on Eren's shoulder, taking in his natural scent mixed with the sweet and familiar smell of sex Armin had come to know so well.

"Morning..." Armin mumbled, not bothering to come up with any good comebacks to insult Eren with. He was too tired and too sore to do that so early in the morning. He shifted once more, rolling off of Eren's body only to lay by him on the couch. The blanket on them shifted and he distantly wondered who it was that put the blanket on them. It wasn't the first or most important thing on his mind, of course. Either of them could have done it while sleeping.

"Sleep well?" Eren asked while moving to lie on his side, cradling Armin against his chest.

"Mhm..." Armin responded while sighing. "What about you?" He asked.

"Like a rock." Eren rubbed his shoulders as he spoke. Armin smiled at him, his tired eyes gazing up at his friend with a comfortable trust.

"That's good to hear." He said. He dropped his head back down on Eren's shoulder, closing his eyes and blocking out the painful sun that shouldn't have even been up. "Eren, what time is it?" Armin asked.

"What time...?" Eren asked and rolled back to grab his phone sitting on the coffee table. He noticed the mess they had made the night before, consisting of three bowls of uneaten chips (one being on the floor), two bottles of soda and a half eaten bag of popcorn. He groaned as he grabbed his phone, knowing he would have to clean that up before Mikasa got home. He sat back against the couch while turning on his phone.

"It's too bright. Why can't you get better curtains?" Armin asked as he hid his head away to block out the sunlight blinding him.

"Those were Mikasa's choice, not mine." Eren explained as his phone turned on with a moment of happy music playing from the speakers. Eren waited for the screen to turn on, and once it was, he noticed two this: The time and a text message from Mikasa. He opened the text message first, wanting to see what it was his sister had said. The message read:

_Mikasa:_

"_Eren, I'll be home in about an hour. Want me to grab any breakfast on the way home?"_

Eren sighed as he ignored the message. Instead, he scrolled through the messages while checking the time.

"Uh oh..." He muttered.

"What...?" Armin lifted his head slightly and asked.

"It's past eight." Eren stated.

"It's what?" Armin shot up from his spot on the couch an exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's eight thirty-eight." Eren held up his phone for Armin to see the time.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late for work!" Armin sat up more to start the frantic search for his clothes. Eren sat up from under him, but he wasn't in such a rush to get to the reality that was life as Armin was. "Underwear? Where is my underwear?" Armin frantically asked, his pants and shirt already in hand.

Eren laughed at the sight of his flustered friend and bent over the side of the couch. He vaguely remembered what he did with his friend's underwear last night, dropping then somewhere on the floor only minutes before taking him, so it wasn't hard to find them. He reached under the coffee table and pulled them out, holding them up for his friend to see.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Eren asked teasingly. Armin spotted his underwear in Eren's hand and reached out for them, but Eren pulled them back and out of his reach.

"Come on, Eren! I don't want to be late! My boss will fire me!" Armin whined as he leaned forward for another try at grabbing them. An utter fail, for Eren pulled them out if his reach again and yanked Armin down onto his body.

"You know, you keep saying that, but you haven't lost your job yet." Eren stated with a smirk on his lips. Armin groaned as he continued to reach for them, leaving himself exposed for Eren's lips to fall on his neck. Armin gasped in surprise, and then bit back a small moan. Eren had made his way to that sweet spot just below Armin's ear, causing a shudder to dance through him.

"N-No, Eren don't. Don't get me worked up n-now." Armin pleaded. Eren didn't listen, his free hand finding the soft skin of Armin's butt and kneading it between his fingers. Armin unintentionally sighed, rolling his hips forward to seek unwarranted pleasure.

"You're practically begging for it." Eren whispered against his ear. His hot breath fanned against his skin, causing goose bumps to rise on his warm flesh. Armin nearly lost it there, ready to beg Eren for more, but he had to keep in mind that he had to go to work, and so did Eren. They both needed to get ready, lest they get into any more trouble than they already were.

"Eren... I-I can't... We- Hng..." Eren sealed his lips over Armin's to shut him up while rolling the two over so Armin was on his back. Armin closed his eyes and whined as he turned his head to the side, trying to resist Eren and his advances, but he was losing the silent war. "W-We'll be late…"

"Is that what you're worried about, honestly?" Eren asked in a whisper against his ear. Armin rolled his head back, his lips unintentionally brushing against Eren's. He couldn't handle any more waiting. He couldn't deny any more that he wanted Eren, even though they had just had sex hours before.

"Damn it, Eren…" Armin mumbled against his lips before pulling him down for a kiss. Eren returned it gratefully, his hands cupping Armin's cheeks while slipping his tongue into his mouth. Armin let out a small, regretful and pleasurable moan into Eren's mouth. When pulling away to breathe, Eren attacked his neck with open-mouthed and wet kisses, sucking on the skin hard, but not hard enough to leave a mark. He knew better than that.

Eren smirked against his skin, wrapping his arms around him in an embrace that made Armin feel the hardened flesh between Eren's legs. He shivered with the small amount of pleasure that surged through his body, his own erection giving an involuntary twitch. To tease him, Eren pulled his hair back, exposing his neck more for his kisses.

"You gave in so easily, Armin." Eren mumbled against his skin. Armin groaned in agitation and yanked Eren by the hair to kiss him, effectively shutting him up. It was a good thing too. Just as Eren's hand slipped from Armin's hair to grab at his member and stroke it, both heard the distinct sounds of keys in a lock. Eren and Armin lifted their heads, listening as the front door opened and footsteps sounded mere feet from them.

"Eren, I'm home!" It was Mikasa. Both Armin and Eren froze, bodies still together and obviously aroused on the couch. They listened to the sounds of her footsteps, of her humming contently as she sorted through the morning mail. With only the blanket to cover them (and barely at that), they didn't have anything or any way to explain to Mikasa why they were naked, on top of each other, and red in the face.

'_We're screwed!'_ Was a thought they both shared. They heard Mikasa sigh, grumbling to herself about the mess they had left in the kitchen, but it seemed like she hadn't noticed the two yet.

"Eren…?" She called out. They heard her rushed footsteps leave the living room, and the two breathed out sighs of relief as they sat up.

"Get dressed, hurry!" Eren whispered in a panic, handing Armin the underwear he previously denied him. Armin did as told, throwing on his clothes in record time and running his fingers through his blond hair to fix the tangles Eren had created. Eren did the same, and added rubbing his face in hopes that it'd get rid of the obvious arousal.

"Oh, there you are." Mikasa walked right back into the room, mail still in hand with her backpack hanging off of her right shoulder and arm.

"Y-Yeah, here we are." Eren said, his voice cracking in pressure at trying to hide his breathless state.

"Armin, you're here too," Mikasa said. It wasn't much of a question; it was more of an observation.

"Yeah, I spent the night." Armin flushed, his eyes diverting to the messy floor so he didn't need to look at her. He didn't want her reading the truth in his eyes.

"Oh god, Eren." Mikasa whined and waved a hand in the direction of the coffee table. "Look at this mess. I'm not cleaning this up." She groaned in agitation.

"S-Sorry, I'll clean it up." Eren apologized.

"Don't you have to go to work?" Mikasa asked while pushing her black hair out of her face.

"Yeah, yeah I do. Not for another half an hour though." Eren said. Mikasa looked to Armin, beckoning for an answer from him with her eyes.

"Yeah, I was just leaving too." Armin stood up from the couch, making sure his shirt was low enough to cover his aching erection straining against his pants. "Thank you for inviting me, Eren." He said as he paced himself over to the door.

"Yeah, no problem." Eren waved to him and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course." Armin slipped his shoes on and waved to Mikasa. "See you later," He said and dashed out of the door, leaving the two siblings to themselves. Mikasa sighed as she rolled her neck around, leaving Eren to the couch and mess the two had created.

"Well, I'm going to go sleep. Christa kept me up all night with her talking." Mikasa mumbled and sighed when a kink in her neck was worked out. "You can clean up in here when you get back from work."

"That sounds good," Eren said. "I-I'm going to go take a shower before work. I'm uh… Covered in sugar." Eren looked down at himself, looking at his disheveled form and winkled clothes.

"That would be a good idea." Mikasa stated. Eren left the couch in favor of leaving the room and taking a shower. Mikasa watched her brother disappear behind the door, and once she was left alone in the messy living room, she let out an audible sigh. "Good lord…" She mumbled.

Reaching into her pocket, Mikasa pulled her cellphone out and searched through her messages. She saw the most recent one, the one she sent to Eren. Double checking it, she noticed that it had been sent out and had been seen by someone.

"Didn't Eren bother to check the time when the message was sent? I sent it at six in the morning. I thought that'd be enough time for those two to finish up whatever they normally do and hide." She muttered. She honestly didn't expect that when she came home at seven in the morning, she'd see the two butt naked and sleeping together on the couch. The mess they had made was the least of her worries; she was more concerned with stopping the bloody nose the sight had given her.

"It's like they're flaunting their relationship…" Mikasa mumbled as she set her backpack on the counter. "They could at least do better at hiding it. How many times am I going to walk in on them and then leave to do something else?" Mikasa rolled her eyes and looked at the couch. Eren's cellphone set aside on the floor, Mikasa picked up the discarded blanket and folded it.

"Did they even bother to wonder who put the blanket on them?" She questioned herself.


End file.
